Stop TB Partnership

European journalists tour TB facilities in South Africa and Swaziland

24 January 2011 - Cape Town - "On this tour, the devastation of tuberculosis (TB) will break your heart. Yet, you will celebrate the courage, determination and wonderful spirit of the people who confront TB, and of those who have beaten it." These words from the Red Cross’ David Stephens rang true during the week of the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership’s media tour of South Africa and Swaziland.

The tour took place in January, when 23 European journalists visited facilities supported by Lilly. South Africa reports almost 1,000 cases of TB per 100,000 people; and Swaziland carries an even heavier load, with over 1,200 cases in 100,000 people. On top of this, both countries share the additional burden of the many social and economic problems of the developing world.

The tour began in South Africa, where reporters gained insight into the country’s township clinics and regional TB hospitals, and visited patients’ homes with Red Cross volunteers, who make a daily call to TB patients to ensure they take their medication as prescribed. A highlight of the visit was witnessing an activation of the Kick TB campaign at a local school, where children danced to TB-themed songs and kicked soccer balls containing awareness messages, with dignitaries including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and TB Ambassador, Gerry Elsdon.

In Swaziland, journalists visited rural clinics run by the Swaziland Red Cross Society. They also toured the Swazi Wellness Centre, a facility to care for healthcare workers when they become sick. The tour ended with small group visits to the homes of TB patients, as they received their medicine from Red Cross volunteers. These visits were no small feat as all-terrain vehicles bumped and rolled across roads washed away by recent flooding, and served as a reminder that many patients walked on those roads for many miles, often while ill, to visit the nearest medical facility.

Journalists met families ripped apart by TB after the death of a child, or the loss of a bread-winner. Visitors shared the news told by a man who was to make his final doctor’s visit to confirm his cure of multidrug-resistant TB. The 61-year old was the guardian of his three grand-children, following the death of their mother. The only money the family had was the government grant the man received to support him through his treatment regime. Once he was cured, this grant would fall away, and he was too old and frail to work.

Yet, amidst the difficult stories, visitors found joy in the dedication of health care workers, the passion of volunteers, the commitment of politicians, and the victory of cured patients.

View the virtual gallery for pictures and stories here.