“You Never Think It Will Happen to You”: Health Workers Confront the Risks of Tuberculosis

Carol Bales — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:23:27 +0000

This post was originally published on the IntraHealth International blog.

Patricia Bond was working as a nurse at a health facility in South Africa when she developed some troubling symptoms. Eventually she was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a dangerous form of the disease that doesn’t respond to the usual medications and is notoriously difficult to treat.

“You hear of TB,” Patricia says, “but you never think it will happen to you.”

In South Africa, one epidemic has fueled another—HIV has sent TB rates soaring. The country now has the third-highest incidence of TB in the world, behind only India and China. And just by going to work every day, health workers like Patricia face major risk of exposure.

Author's name:

Sarah Dwyer

Publication Date:

March 2013