“I face stigma in my family due to my disease”

I was burnt at the age of 13 and after that incident people stopped talking to me due to my burn marks. A lot of people in the area do not speak to me. I rear sheep for a living.

Three months ago, I went to a nearby health center for four days after I started having symptoms of TB but the lab technician was not present so I wasn’t getting tested. Then a friend of mine, who had attended a community meeting organized by an NGO, became aware of my symptoms and referred me to a REACH volunteer. I went for a sputum test following which I was diagnosed with TB.  I have pain in my chest and difficulty in breathing but I am taking my medicines regularly.

I face stigma in my house regularly due to my disease. My family constitutes of my father, my step-mother, my two brothers and myself. I am not allowed to sleep in my own house because my step-mother fears that the rest of the family will get infected. I go in the evenings to sleep in a small abandoned hut along with my aunt.

But the good thing is that now I am getting nutritional support and my weight has increased from 38 to 43 kgs. I am hopeful that I will get well soon. – Kesavdani, TB Patient

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This story is part of our series called ‘Voices of TB Heroes’ that features TB survivors and community volunteers who’ve impacted the lives of those affected by TB.

 According to the Global TB Report for 2016 that was released last month, India continues to bear the world’s highest burden of TB, with 2.8 million people affected by the disease last year. Despite being curable, TB kills over 1000 people every day in India.

 At the heart of India’s battle against TB are those directly affected by the disease. It is their stories that we need to hear, their struggles and battles we need to support and their victories we must celebrate. Please read and share these stories widely.

“He died at 25 of TB, leaving me alone to face the world..”

“My husband was a drug addict and an alcoholic. When he got TB, Suganya from REACH contacted me for getting tested. My children and I were taken for a screening test and X-ray and my younger child was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Had Suganya not intervened, I wouldn’t have taken the issue seriously as I did not know that TB could have infected my family. My younger child has completed treatment but my older one was diagnosed recently and is on treatment.

My husband had all the bad habits, which made him prone to diseases like TB. When he couldn’t walk due to TB, I used to go to the center to fetch medicines but he would refuse to take them. It has been six months since my husband died.

Project Axshaya – Sweeping Ignorance Away

The Director of the HIV +ve Society in Thiruvanamalai district, Tamil Nadu is a happy man because he has been able to refer around 20 to 30 TB suspects on an average per month, out of which at least 10 turn out to be positive TB cases.

All that he knew about TB till he became part of the activities of the Project Axshya was that it was the first infection that a HIV + person would get and its symptoms. But he is now enriched with an in depth knowledge of the disease. Sensitization of people living with HIV is a must because they consist of a high risk pool very vulnerable to the disease.

K. Jagarajamma

Consultant,

REACH TB Axshaya Project

REACH Blog Team