World Tuberculosis Day
Today is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, a day to raise awareness of the devastating health, social and economic consequences of this disease, and to promote efforts to end it. We talked to Dr. Richard Samson, FAME’s TB and HIV/AIDS coordinator, and one of our former TB patients, Saitoti*, to better understand this disease. In 2021, FAME treated 56 cases of TB, and so far in 2022 we have received 17 cases.
Saitoti smiles during the interview
24-year-old Saitoti* was experiencing excessive coughing and chest pains. He was struggling to breathe and had excessive weight loss. He had become so weak that he could not perform his job as a herdsman.His grandfather offered to bring him to FAME. He had heard that it was a nice hospital, and thought we could help him. Together, they made the six-hour journey.
Once at FAME, Saitoti was seated in the outpatient clinic where he was waiting to see the doctor. However, while he was waiting, the FAME medical team overheard his cough. He was quickly fast tracked, tests and an X-Ray were done, and Saitoti was diagnosed with TB.
“I was devastated. I was scared. My father died of Tuberculosis 15 years before my diagnosis, and this convinced me that I would suffer the same fate.”
TB treatment is quite lengthy and the side effects of the medication can be challenging. Dr. Richard explains: “We usually give TB patients medication for seven days, and ask them to come back for review and to get more. However, Saitoti lives quite far from FAME and because of the long and expensive journey, this was not feasible. So we gave him drugs for one month at a time. This is his sixth month on medication, and it will be his last.”
Once home, Saitoti had to be isolated for two weeks, so as not to infect his wife, mother and child, who live with him. “I stayed in a hut outside the home. I never left. My wife brought me food and left it outside the door. I stayed there for two weeks.”
His recovery has not been the easiest. He struggled with feelings of extreme fatigue, especially the first three months of taking medication. After this he was strong enough to go back to herding cattle and walking long distances to visit his friends. “After three months of medication I felt more like myself, it was at this point I became hopeful that I might survive! The doctors advised me to continue with medication for another three months, and this I followed religiously.”
Saitoti expressed his thanks to FAME for his treatment and the good service and follow up that he received. A couple of months ago, he met an older woman at the market who was coughing uncontrollably.
FAME’s Dr. Richard Samson, poses with Saitoti during the interview
“I approached her, struck up a conversation and I quickly realized that she had the same symptoms that I did. I asked her if I could bring her to FAME. She agreed. The doctors here confirmed that she had TB and is now on her second month of treatment and doing well. I’m so happy I was able to save her life. Nobody should die from this disease. ”
Dr. Richard acknowledges that important strides have been taken in TB research and medications. Just a couple of years ago, the TB treatment pills were so big that the patients struggled to swallow them and some got scared and shied away from taking them. “The treatment is free, as the government of Tanzania provides TB drugs free of charge to health facilities. So nobody should be afraid of the cost.”
The majority of the TB cases received at FAME are the most marginalized and vulnerable people often facing barriers in accessing care. It is by taking the necessary steps to address health inequalities that it will become easier for these communities to access life saving treatment. “Everyone needs to know and understand that TB is curable. It is treatable, and with a timely diagnosis and access to care, lives can be saved.” - Dr. Richard.
*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share his photo and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical