TB Screening

Apologies for the lack of posts but our internet has been down for over a week now and has just been fixed today. Apparently our phone lines were struck by lightning during a storm last week so our modem and internet lines were fried.

Last week I spent Wednesday to Friday at Addo Elephant Park anyway where there were at least 400 elephants in the area as well as lions, leopards, buffalo, rhinos, kudu, red heart beast, eland, wart hogs, a variety of birds, lizards and snakes and countless other wildlife. It was an exciting few days that included being chased by elephants and a pretty severe thunderstorm, but a good time was had by all and a I got some amazing photos!

After a relaxing weekend, Monday morning was spent doing TB screening in the township. This involved going door to door and asking people if they could complete a short health questionnaire to find out if they had any of the symptoms of tuberculosis, which include:

·         A cough that never goes away

·         Coughing up mucus and blood

·         Chest pains

·         Shortness of breath

·         Loss of appetite

·         Difficulty sleeping

People who displayed 3 of more symptoms were referred to the clinic for a blood test to confirm whether or not they have TB and begin treatment if the test comes back positive. We only made one referral yesterday but TB is a growing problem in the township and it is particularly dangerous for those who are HIV positive – which is 1 in 4 people in South Africa at the moment.

Surprisingly, even though treatment for TB at the clinic is free, many people are reluctant to go because they are embarrassed - a lot of people believe that TB is a disease that only affects people who are HIV positive, which is not the case at all. Our job is to raise awareness of the symptoms and treatment options and encourage people to get tested at the clinic if they think they might be ill. And also try to get people to understand that anyone can get TB at any time in their lives.

Whilst filling in the questionnaire with one young man in the township, I asked him if he suffered from chest pains. He told me yes, he does, and proceeded to open his shirt to reveal a 4 inch long angry, red, scar from a stab wound which he got whilst walking in the township at night! He was only 18 years old.