Johns Hopkins Medicine investigators who have led an international research program called Zero TB in Kids are now using the program’s infrastructure and their community ties to bring basic necessities to families who lost everything in the massive flash flood that occurred in Nepal and Tibet on Aug. 26.
Through a relief fundraiser , they are asking for donations that will help provide medical supplies, blankets, tents, warm clothes, food and heaters to children and families whose homes, schools and communities were washed away. This support will also extend to long-term recovery efforts, including screening and treatment for infectious diseases, educational support for children, and other aid for families in need.
“Their homes are gone, food is scarce and children are hungry,” says Kunchok Dorjee, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. , assistant professor of medicine and international health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Diseases will surge. We want to do everything we can to prevent this.”
In a video message , Dorjee explains that he grew up in the Himalayas and has seen poverty firsthand. Since then, he has dedicated his medical and research career to helping those in need.
The goal of Zero TB in Kids, a Johns Hopkins University global health initiative, has been to eradicate tuberculosis in areas where it is most common. Through the past decade, physician researchers have screened more than 30,000 refugee children, teens and close contacts living in South Asia for tuberculosis. They also provided treatment to anyone who tested positive. With the support of the community and active case finding, this infrastructure has led to an 83% reduction in tuberculosis among Tibetan refugee children living in India.
Based on 2024 estimates , there were more than 10 million people worldwide living with tuberculosis disease — a term that describes an active infection. This equates to an average of 131 incidents of tuberculosis disease for every 100,000 people. In the United States, this incidence was 3 out of every 100,000. In Nepal, it was 227 out of 100,000, which exceeds the 185 out of 100,000 average in regions designated as having a high burden.
Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is spread through direct exposure — such as sneezing, speaking, coughing or laughing — from a person who has an infection. In many cases, people with an infection may not experience symptoms (called a latent infection), or the symptoms could emerge years later. Tuberculosis infects the lungs and can also affect the kidneys, spine and brain. It is currently diagnosed with a skin test on the forearm or with a blood test. Active infections are confirmed with the presentation of symptoms — which may include a chronic cough, chest pain and fatigue — and a chest X-ray.
Vaccines are often provided in infancy in areas like the United States. Treatment includes antibiotics for people who have latent or active infections. Antibiotic treatment can span anywhere from a few months to a year or longer. Permanent lung damage can occur among people with infections if they don’t receive early treatment.
In addition to reducing rates of tuberculosis, the Zero TB researchers have also been studying how to treat dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, in the Chitwan district of Nepal, where rescue efforts have taken place along the banks of the Narayani River. The researchers have also used the community and network to provide a Nepal-based prevention program for stomach cancer , the leading cause of death in Tibet, and a Smart Kids Initiative to support the education of children living in these communities.
“We will leverage these programs to provide support to people affected by this flood,” says Dorjee. “The road to recovery is difficult. We want to provide a smoother path to support the basic needs of this community and their long-term health outcomes.”
About Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine is an $11 billion integrated global health enterprise and one of the leading academic healthcare systems in the United States. It unites the physicians and scientists of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with the organizations, health professionals and facilities of the Johns Hopkins Health System. Diverse and inclusive, Johns Hopkins Medicine educates medical students, scientists, healthcare professionals and the public; conducts biomedical research; and provides patient-centered medicine to prevent, diagnose and treat human illness. Johns Hopkins Medicine has six academic and community hospitals in Maryland, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region and Florida, including The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which opened in 1889. The organization operates four healthcare and surgery centers, more than six ambulatory surgery centers, and more than 50 primary and specialty care outpatient sites under Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. Johns Hopkins Medicine extends healthcare into the community through Johns Hopkins Care at Home and Johns Hopkins Health Plans, and around the world through Johns Hopkins Medicine International. For information about the enterprise and its research, education and clinical programs, and for the latest health, science and research news, visit hopkinsmedicine.org .