Triumphing over TB, HIV amidst stigma
BACK in 1995, about one-quarter of adults in Zimbabwe were infected with HIV as the virus had spread rapidly during the 1980s.
THE first AIDS case in Zimbabwe had been reported only a decade earlier and very little was known about HIV and Aids. As a result, most people preferred not to know their status due to the high levels of stigma and discrimination against those who tested positive.
In this environment, a happily married Ms Barbara Farashishto who was heavily pregnant with her first child fell sick and was having trouble breathing.
Soon after delivery, the young mother’s illness progressed and she ended up admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
With the doctors suspecting tuberculosis, Ms Farashishto underwent some tests and they came out clear. However, further tests revealed that she had contracted TB.
Immediately, Ms Farashishto began her gruelling journey to recovery that would see her TB relapsing two times.
For three months, she remained admitted in hospital, with no contact with her baby as it was feared that she could infect him.
“I was married in Rusape but my parents in Harare took over in taking care of my child while l fought for my life. It broke my heart that I could not breastfeed my three months old baby. I could not walk, bathe myself or even get up without assistance,” she narrated during an Editors’ Workshop organised by the National Aids Council recently.
Unfortunately, Ms Farashishto was discharged before full recovery.
“I remember disembarking from the bus and getting on a wheel barrow that took me to my parents’ house. Stigma was real. As I was being taken to my parents’ home in that state, neighbours stared and I could hear their thoughts — they were ready to bury me,” she said.
Probably it is even more heart-breaking that Ms Farashisto’s siblings also turned their backs on her.
“I was allocated a small room outside the main house. My own siblings were so scared of TB that they would place my food at the doorstep and I would take it from there. This is a battle I fought with my parents and the medical personnel only.
“When my motherin-law came for a visit, she only peeped through the door and left. She went on to tell my husband that I was a walking grave and advised him to get another wife. However, my husband and I remained committed to each other.” Despite the tough situation she found herself in, Ms Farashishto soldiered on and completed her six months of TB medication. At that time, she was taking 14 tablets every day. Upon assessment after six months, doctors prescribed a further two months of medication. Still, she adhered to her medication and never faltered.
After eight months of treatment, Ms Frashishto was declared TB free. Unfortunately, her child passed away at the tender age of five.
Stress set in and Ms Farashishto’s TB relapsed.
This time around, in addition to the TB tablets, Ms Farashishto who was now carrying her second child would also get one injection everyday for the next 60 days. “The injections were particularly bad. By the time I completed the course of 60 injections, I could barely sit, but my doctors had stressed on the importance to adhering to my medication,” said the woman who is now a TB champion.
“I gave birth to my second born child, but he had stunted growth and was always sick. My TB relapsed again and at this point my in-laws came out guns blazing and made it clear that they were no longer in support of our marriage,” said Ms Farashishto.
In 2008, she lost her second child. With TB and depression now threatening to suck life out of her, doctors recommended an HIV test and it came out positive.
Ms Farashishto was quick to accept her status as this meant that doctors could finally initiate her on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment and tame her TB.
Today, the firebrand woman is a TB champion who goes around the country speaking about the importance of getting tested and adhering to treatment.
Following the death of her husband in 2014, she has decided to be celibate.
Speaking during the recent Editors’ workshop, Dr Kelvin Charambira said Zimbabwe can end TB by 2030 because the disease is curable.
“It is not all gloomy, the most important thing is to know your status. TB is curable,” he said.
“TB is an opportunistic infection that occur more often or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems. HIV weakens the immune system, thereby increasing the risk of TB in people with HIV,” said Dr Charambira. According to the World Health Organisation, TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV. The 2020 Global TB report says people living with HIV are 18 times more likely to develop active TB disease than people without
HIV.