Icddr,b-led the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Alliance for Combating Tuberculosis in Bangladesh (ACTB) has announced the "Media Fellowship for Reporting on TB 2022."

The fellowship offers an opportunity to journalists who are engaged in health reporting and are the catalyst for its development. Fellows will get the chance to learn from leading experts, gain valuable field experience and see first-hand how tuberculosis (TB) interventions are developed and implemented.

Every day, an estimated 120 persons die from tuberculosis (TB) in Bangladesh, which is a preventable and curable disease. Moreover, 986 individuals fall ill with TB daily.

Though TB has plagued humans since prehistoric times, awareness about the disease amongst the general public is still very low. Additionally, TB is a highly stigmatised disease.

The mass media has immense potential to disseminate key messages and information to address the barriers, promote the prevention and treatment of TB, and, most importantly, eliminate the stigma related to the disease. Journalists can, thus, play an important role in the fight against the TB epidemic.

Under the USAID initiative, 15 journalists will be awarded a three-month fellowship. The fellows will receive a stipend of Tk20,000 monthly (Tk60,000 in total for the duration of the fellowship) to support their travel and research expenses.

This will enable them to produce at least three reports during their fellowship tenure. Applicants having experience working in national or local daily newspapers/television/radio or online newspapers can take part in this programme. The deadline for application is September 30, with the fellowship starting in November 2022.