TB is curable – not a death sentence

The power of acceptance, understanding and support, gave two former patients at Barberton TB Specialised Hospital the courage to see their tuberculosis (TB) treatment through to the end.

Both of them are now healthy and adamant to raise awareness that a TB diagnosis is not a death sentence.

Christina Nkosi said she was diagnosed with TB in 2010 after losing weight and coughing for more than a month on end. “I was admitted to Barberton TB Specialised Hospital for two weeks and transferred to Witbank TB Hospital where I spent three months because I had developed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). I had to undergo treatment for two years.”

Last Thursday Nkosi spoke at the local hospital during the public institution open day. The event was aimed at providing support to the hospital and its services rendered to all the stakeholders including the community.

Eric Sibiya, also a former TB patient, said it was difficult at first to accept that he had TB. Sibiya is a waste worker at Mbombela Municipality where he removes refuse. He thinks his occupation might have contributed to him contracting the disease. He was diagnosed with TB in 2012 and had to undergo a six-month course of treatment. He was told that it was essential to take the treatment for the entire duration period.

“When I was admitted, I was weak and had lost hope. I saw patients failing to stick to their treatment and others lost their lives right in front of me. My life turned around after some patients, nurses and pastors at the hospital started telling me that TB was not a death sentence and that I could make it if I tried. I immediately started taking the treatment regularly for six month, and I never looked back,” said Sibiya.

Sister Rebecca Shingange said all forms of the disease could be cured. She explained that MDR-TB was more complex than ordinary TB and could develop if patients did not take their treatment properly.

“MDR-TB does not respond to standard TB drugs and is much harder to treat. Treatment includes a daily streptomycin injection for 40 days and tablets for two years, depending on the patient’s condition,” Shingange said.

Both Sibiya and Nkosi said they were willing to share their journey of overcoming TB with the rest of the community to save lives.

They both shared the same sentiment that it was not the disease which was killing people, but that patients were killing themselves by not taking their treatment as they were prescribed to.

Olga Nkosi, Umjindi Municipality HIV/Aids coordinator, said they have established an Aids council to deal with diseases such as TB and the HIV/Aids epidemic in the Umjindi jurisdiction.

“Everyone on this council are involved with other companies and institutions to find common ground in order to curb such diseases. However, we have a huge challenge as managers don’t want to attend the council when invited but instead delegate their duties to junior staff who don’t have any influence in the institutions they represent. They still have to convey what was discussed to their managers, in order for action to be taken,” said Nkosi.