Pain and shame of multidrug-resistant TB

AFTER her battle with – and victory against – tuberculosis in the mid-1990s, a mother in rural northern KwaZulu-Natal thought her fight against the disease was over.

But in November last year, the 42-year-old – who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being further discriminated against – was shocked to find out that she had a multidrug-resistant form of the disease, or MDR-TB.

Experiencing night sweats, coughing and painful feet last year, she visited her clinic in Estcourt.

After undergoing a sputum test, and waiting two weeks for the results, she was dealt the devastating blow: she was MDR-positive.

“It was painful to hear the news because of the way it was relayed to me. My uncle had passed away. It was his funeral, and the nurses, wearing gloves and masks, came and told me I was sick, in front of the whole community.”

Her family, grief-stricken and in mourning, were devastated. “The nurses told me it was not safe to stay in the community, so they admitted me to hospital.”

The woman said the stigma had led to much discrimination against her. “Some people don’t want to come near my home because they know I’m infected. They are scared I will infect them. People are afraid to touch me.”

Her family, including her daughter and brother, were very supportive, she said.

The treatment, while easy to follow, brought many unpleasant side-effects: deafness, blurred vision, skin colour changes and vomiting.

Some patients feel suicidal tendencies, which leads to their being prescribed antidepressants. The drugs can also cause hunger pangs.

“I take 17 pills daily, including my antiretroviral treatment,” the woman said.

Treatment spans 18 to 24 months, depending on the patient.

The woman said normal TB was “a bit better” because the coughing would settle much more quickly. MDR, she said, was far more uncomfortable.

“If you think you are sick, you must go and get checked by a doctor. It is important to start and follow the treatment they give you exactly.”

In 2015 the World Health Organisation reported an estimated 480 000 people had developed MDR-TB globally. Among new TB cases, which accounted for most of the global TB burden, an estimated 3.3% had MDR-TB.