Study: Cash handouts have a dramatic impact on the deadliest infectious disease

A study in Brazil found that the Bolsa Familia Program, which provides cash payments to low-income families, led to a significant decrease in rates of tuberculosis (TB) among recipients. The study, published in Nature Medicine, focused on 54 million people living in poverty in Brazil, with 44% receiving cash payments and 56% not. Those receiving cash were less likely to contract TB, with cases and deaths dropping by over 50%. This research suggests that economic programs targeting poverty could have major health benefits, potentially helping to end epidemics like TB.

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