Case Studies

Fammunisa (India)

Famunnisa went to the local ANM (Auxiliary Nurse/midwife), who referred her to the TB service after hearing of her symptoms of night sweats and fever.  So far Famunnisa has only told her husband and brothers about her TB.  They have been supportive but she is scared to tell her mother-in-law, as she is afraid she will think it is her fault she has TB.  She has three children.  She tried going to native healers and taking cough medicines before she eventually sought advice from the ANM. From visit report by Paul Sommerfeld

Charles Zulu (Zambia)

There is still amount of stigma in our community on HIV/AIDS/TB. It's a common knowledge in our society that anyone with TB has HIV/AIDS. This misconception is widely accepted and acknowledged by many. There is no legal security in Zambia despite advocacy for the victims of TB/HIV/AIDS. People who are sick are easily dismissed by their employers.

Charles Zulu is 32 years old. His wife Hellen deserted him after seven years of marriage when he started getting ill. She went to her parents in Kabwe where she has remarried. They have two children, a boy and a girl, who are staying with his young sister. He was diagnosed with TB and he started Anti TB treatment on 31st March, 2002 but after the second review on 1st January, 2003 he is still not cured.  This is because he is also HIV positive and may need longer treatment. On 7th June, 2002 he went for HIV testing, the results came out positive. He decided to tell his brother about his HIV results but his brother said ‘Brother I think I have cared for you when you were very sick, I have done enough. You are HIV positive and have got TB, so there is no way I can keep you in my house any longer, I give you 4 days to vacate my house, find your own way’. His brother's wife also supported by saying’ yes you should leave our home, because when HIV/AIDS starts reacting badly you can be a problem in here with your diarrheoa and many more other illnesses and end up infecting us’. Luckily TB treatment supporters found him and now he is under Bwafwano Community Home Based Care. He receives his food and other household support from the organisation. Charles has very much improved in his health. He has joined the people living with HIV/AIDS Support Group and he is actively involved in HIV/AIDS prevention activities.  In our TB programme he wants to be a peer educator to tell people that although he has HIV he can still be cured of TB and live a good life. Case Study – compiled by Sammy Chingombe, Programme Co-ordinator, Bwafwano Home Based Care Organisation

Judy (Zambia)

"I was nursing a lady called Judy who had TB.  She told me she was married – but her husband wasn’t around.  When I asked where he was she said he had left because she had TB.  She thought he might have a new girlfriend now.  I was angry – how could he leave her just because she was ill?   So I found out where he was.  I asked him to meet me and I asked him why he had done this to her.  He said he didn’t want to be infected – that she would probably die and that he had to save himself and get on with his life – it was no use both of them dying.  I talked to him for a long time – helping him to understand TB and explaining that now she was getting the proper treatment she would not die.  She would be better soon  and now she was taking the tablets regularly she was not infectious.  If he was ill wouldn’t he want her to stand by him through it all?  I thought he would just go away and ignore me – but he didn’t.  He came back the next day and told me he was going home.  I saw Judy recently and her husband is still there.  That made me very happy!” Stellah, Volunteer Caregiver, Bwafwano Home Based Care Organisation