Unite to end TB

Today is World TB day, and it reminded me of an assignment I did 3 years ago with Doctors without Borders.

I traveled to Tajikistan, where I photographed children being treated by MSF for Multiple Drug resistant TB (MDR TB), a very long and hard process for these often very young children. Try explaining to a 6 year old to take multiple medicine every day that give multiple side effects for about 2 years but which are necessary to get cured …

This year’s World TB theme is ‘Unite to end TB’ and that title reminded me of photographing my first patient in Dushanbe. 18 year old Mijgona, who was the first fully cured MDR TB patient in MSF‘s TB program in Tajikistan, which was being celebrated with a small party.

United in celebrating. A happy moment and hopefully it was a reminder for some of the other children still in process of the treatment, that there was hope.