ANNUAL REPORT APOPO’S MINE DETECTION RATS speed up landmine detection APOPO HAS HELPED significantly. They help to re- duce tragic accidents and get OVER A MILLION people back on their land as PEOPLE BACK ON quickly as possible. THEIR LAND. APOPO IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT RE- SEARCHES, DEVELOPS AND IMPLEMENTS DETECTION RAT TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES. DETECTION RATS, NICKNAMED HERORATS, SAVE LIVES BY DETECTING LANDMINES AND TUBERCULOSIS. APOPO is a global NGO, with roots in Belgium and opera- tional headquarters in Tanzania. It currently has mine de- tection operations in Mozambique, Angola and Cambodia and TB detection operations in Tanzania and Mozambique. APOPO’s research and development center is based in Tan- zania. APOPO CORE VALUES QUALITY Demonstrating and promoting high standards in research, design, training and implementation of detection rats technology. INNOVATION Pioneering creative research and innovative solutions within a participatory learning culture. SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION Developing skills, creating APOPO HAS jobs, improving socio-economic and environmental conditions, releasing land for development, and combating public health DIAGNOSED 9127 TB issues. APOPO’S TUBERCULOSIS DETECTION RATS PATIENTS WHO WERE DIVERSITY Embracing diversity in all facets of the organiza- are faster and more sensitive at detecting tuberculosis than INITIALLY MISSED BY tion with respect to age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, conventional microscopy. Every day they save lives by finding physical abilities, nationality or ethnicity. more TB positive people who were missed at their local clinic. THEIR LOCAL CLINICS. 2015 2 APOPO INTRODUCTION ALBERTO ZACARIAS INTERNATIONAL MINE DETECTION RATS SUPERVISOR first met the amazing HeroRATs in 2008 when I was Yet all over the world, not only landmines but also tubercu- CONTENTS an APOPO deminer detecting landmines in Mozam- losis continue to endanger lives and impede economies. In 04 Tuberculosis - Global Issues bique. I had been invited to APOPO’s HQ and Training December 2015 The WHO announced that tuberculosis now & Research Center in Tanzania and was about to em- kills more people than HIV, making it the world’s biggest killer 06 Tuberculosis Detection bark on my new career as a Mine Detection Rat Han- by an infectious disease. The TB Detection Rats teams in Mo- 06 Tanzania Idler. Although I had worked with trained dogs before I was still zambique and Tanzania have reacted by stepping up the fight amazed at the rat’s abilities; their speed and accuracy. The and in 2015 we changed our strategy to get test results 08 Mozambique Tanzania team taught me about scent detection theory back to patients faster than ever. Now more people 10 How does is work and technology, as well as animal welfare and veteri- can start treatment and get cured of this deadly nary skills. In return I told them about the suffer- disease. 12 Research and development ing in my country. At that time, vast areas of 13 Animal Welfare land in Mozambique remained contaminated Over the years I have seen APOPO grow into with landmines. These cause tragic accidents an inspiring global organization that suc- 14 Our global impact and cut communities off from prime agricul- cessfully addresses major humanitarian is- 18 Mine Action Summary tural land and access to other basic needs. sues around the world. If you are a partner or 19 Mine Free Live Free Across the country, landmines caused people to live donor to APOPO then I offer my sincere grati- in fear and poverty and were a barrier to economic de- tude for your kind support. It is this alone that 20 Mozambique velopment. allows us to carry out our life saving work. If 22 Cambodia you are a potential supporter, I ask you to Now, almost 8 years after I held my first HeroRAT, my join us today in the fight against landmines 24 Angola country has been declared free of all known landmines. and tuberculosis. 26 Marketing and Communication It is hard for me to convey the pride and emotion I felt when this historic announcement was made in Septem- Please read on, and learn how APOPO, through 27 Ratatart ber 2015. Our people are free. your help, can change the lives of people around 28 Past and future the world. 29 Our Partners and Donors 30 Financials 2015 03 RISK TO OTHERS THE VICIOUS Without treatment, up to 15 TUBERCULOSIS NOW KILLS MORE other people can be infected PEOPLE GLOBALLY THAN ANY CYCLE OF by a TB sufferer within a year OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASE STIGMA AND TUBERCULOSIS RISK OF DEATH SERIOUS ILLNESS In order to break the vicious cycle of tuberculo- sis, APOPO targets large cities with high rates NO TREATMENT of tuberculosis. In these cities, the influx of peo- 169,594 ple looking for work creates crowded living and PRESUMPTIVE TB PATIENTS working conditions that act as incubators for EVALUATED SINCE 2007 TB the disease. PERSON GETS SICK Public clinics in Sub-Saharan Africa use con- UNABLE ventional microscopy to detect tuberculosis, a TO SUPPORT method that is slow and inaccurate and only FAMILY 9127 detects 50% of the patients who actually have ADDITIONAL TB PATIENTS tuberculosis. IDENTIFIED BY RATS SYMPTOMS Cough SINCE 2007 Fever APOPO HERORATS CAN CHECK PERSON 40,000 100 PATIENTS FOR TUBERCULOSIS ILL PERSON GETS GOES TO CLINIC POTENTIAL INFECTIONS IN 20 MINUTES. THIS TAKES A LAB WEAK SAMPLE TAKEN unable HALTED IN TANZANIA AND TECHNICIAN IN A PUBLIC CLINIC 50% OF TO APOPO to work or UP TO 4 DAYS. THE PATIENTS to go to school MOZAMBIQUE are missed at the clinic and sent home APOPO HAS RAISED DETECTION RATES IN PARTNER CLINICS BY OVER 40% SINCE 2007. APOPO BREAKS THE CYCLE HEALTHY AGAIN TREATMENT MISSED PATIENT DETECTED 2015 BY APOPO HERORATS 04 ANNUAL REPORT HUSNA AMIRY “I run a small business to support my family but when I got ill I was too weak to take care of it. I was diagnosed with TB with the help of APOPO and the HeroRATs. I started treatment immediately and soon recovered. Now I get on with my life and activities.” AT FIRST I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT BUT NOW I KNOW NURU HASANI WHAT IS TUBERCULOSIS? WHAT IS THE TREATMENT? RATS CAN Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that usually attacks the Tuberculosis is treatable and curable. Most people can be cured lungs. Most people who are exposed to tuberculosis never de- after a standard six-month course of four antimicrobial drugs REALLY velop symptoms because the bacteria can live in an inactive that are provided with information, supervision and support to FIND THE form in the body (latent TB). If the immune system weakens, the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer. the TB bacteria can become active, causing harmful symptoms DISEASE.” and potentially death. WHO IS AT RISK? People with a weak or compromised immune system such as “When I fell ill I went to the hospital for a TB test but HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED? young children and elderly people, persons living with HIV, and the result was negative. About the same time, two of Tuberculosis is mainly transmitted through the air. When peo- the malnourished are at the highest risk of contracting tuber- my grandchildren got sick. I was very worried and had ple with pulmonary (lung) TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel culosis. to ask a family member to come and help us, I couldn’t TB germs into the air. Inhaled bacteria can then lodge in the manage it on my own. The HeroRATs then tested our lungs of others and grow. The closer and more frequent the samples and they found TB! At first I couldn’t believe contact, the higher the chance of developing the disease. it but now I know rats can really find the disease. They helped all of us.” 2015 05 TUBERCULOSIS TANZANIA DR. GEORGIES MGODE PROGRAM MANAGER TB TANZANIA FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS AT SOURCE Public clinics are often a last resort for people sick with tuber- culosis. Due to transport costs and the absence of paid sick 2015was a year of good results and growth for also conducting an ‘active case finding’ CLAUDI NORBERT leave, patients often continue to work well into their illness APOPO’s Tanzania TB detection program. research project that screens prisoners in whilst infecting others. Tuberculosis flourishes in locations APOPO expanded its operations to five new Tanzanian jails for tuberculosis. The TB de- where people are regularly in close contact, such as factories, health facilities bringing the number of tection rats may offer a cost effective way “THE mines and high-density residential areas. Due to the rapid partner clinics to twenty-eight. Our partners to break the TB cycle by screening large HERORATS diagnostic speed and low costs of TB detection rats, APOPO MKUTA and PASADA have also expanded numbers of people in high-risk settings such FOUND believes it can add value as a screening tool. Initial research their services along with the extra clinics. as jails, high density housing and factories MY TB” results are very promising. These outreach organizations engage for- which are considered incubators for TB. mer TB patients as community volunteers. In 2015, APOPO first completed a pilot study with a small They visit clinics, communal gathering A grant was secured from The UBS-Optimus sample of sugarcane plantation workers and confirmed the areas and workplaces to raise awareness, Foundation to study TB odor compounds rat’s effectiveness. They correctly identified 75% of the pa- reduce stigma and encourage people to in patients in collaboration with the Max tients with tuberculosis and quickly reduced the number of stay on their treatment. Planck Institute for Infection Biology and “I never would have samples needing confirmatory tests.