Overview

The TB Crisis: Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming more lives each year than malaria and HIV combined. Most people in Europe and North America rarely think about TB because it has been largely eliminated in our countries. Tragically, in lower-income nations – including Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and much of sub-Saharan Africa – it continues to devastate families and communities. In Nepal alone, 47 people die from TB every single day.

The Long Wait for a Vaccine: There is still no effective vaccine against pulmonary TB in adults. The Gates Foundation is currently running a major five-year clinical trial in Africa that is expected to cost well over a billion dollars, yet success is far from guaranteed. Even if the trial succeeds, it will take many additional years before any new vaccine reaches the low-income countries that need it most.

What We Can Do Right Now – The Power of 3HP: While the world waits for a vaccine, an extraordinarily effective tool already exists: a short preventive treatment called 3HP for people with latent TB infection.

Latent TB means the bacteria are present in the body but cause no symptoms and are not yet contagious. Millions carry latent TB unknowingly, and only a small fraction have been identified or treated. Treating latent infection has long been recognized as one of the most powerful ways to stop TB from developing into full-blown, symptomatic, and highly contagious active disease.

3HP is a simple two-drug treatment (isoniazid + rifapentine) taken once a week for just 12 weeks. Landmark studies – including research led by Professor Richard Chaisson at Johns Hopkins and published in the New England Journal of Medicine – have shown that 3HP reduces the risk of progression to active TB by up to 90%. Because of this remarkable efficacy, the regimen is now recommended by both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Crucially, 3HP is extremely affordable: the full course costs only about US $10 per person. Until a true vaccine arrives, widespread use of 3HP can serve as a highly effective “vaccine substitute”, preventing untold future cases and deaths. Yet, despite its proven impact and low cost, 3HP remains dramatically underused in high-burden countries like Nepal and India – simply because of a lack of funding.

BNMT: Leading the Fight in Nepal: For more than 50 years, BNMT has been at the forefront of improving healthcare in Nepal. Today it is spearheading an ambitious effort to break the cycle of TB transmission by dramatically expanding latent TB screening and 3HP preventive treatment.

Our Plan: A Four-District Pilot Project: We want to partner with BNMT to scale up 3HP through a comprehensive three-year pilot in four high-burden districts of Nepal. The project will introduce systematic screening for latent TB and deliver preventive therapy across entire districts, with the goal of stopping progression to active disease.

Projected Impact of the Pilot (3-year program)

• Latent TB cases diagnosed and treated: 6,000 (500 per district per year × 4 districts × 3 years)
• Active TB cases averted: 1,333 (range 983–1,779)
• Deaths averted in the first wave: 197 (range 139–289) → These benefits will multiply in future years as ongoing transmission is interrupted, mirroring the way TB was largely eliminated in Europe and North America.
• Total budget: US $1,575,556

(These projections are based on epidemiological modelling and real-world results from BNMT’s successful 2020–2022 pilot in Chitwan and Pyuthan districts.)

With proof of success and additional funding, this model can be rolled out to more districts, catalyzing Nepal toward the long-term goal of nationwide TB elimination.

How You Can Help: Your tax-deductible gift will directly fund BNMT’s expansion of 3HP treatment and launch this vital four-district pilot. To ensure donations are tax-deductible for U.S. donors, please give through our fiscal sponsor, the American Himalayan Foundation (AHF).

Click here to access AHF’s donate page, and follow instructions as shown in the screenshot:

Please click <I’ll choose> and click <other>, enter Himalayan Breath of Hope in the box to ensure the funds are directed to this project.

Together, we can protect thousands of Nepalis from developing life-threatening TB and create a replicable model that could transform TB control across the entire region.

Thank you for considering this urgent opportunity to save lives

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The American Himalayan Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, its EIN / tax ID number is 94-2951480. All such contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.