Drug resistant tuberculosis in Afghanistan: We must continue to put people at the centre of treatment
BMJ 2022; 376 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o46 (Published 10 January 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;376:o46
- Anita Mesic, MSF TB, HIV, and hepatitis adviser
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On my last visit to MSF’s tuberculosis (TB) hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, I watched as a young girl writhed in agony, her short life being snuffed out by TB-meningitis. She had arrived at an advanced stage and there was little we could do, other than make her last moments more comfortable.
Down the hallway, an older man was preparing to leave. Over the course of his care for drug resistant TB (DR-TB), he’d grown stronger. I remember how proud he was to finally finish treatment.
Two patients with two very different outcomes. One highlighted the challenges that the people of Afghanistan—especially when female—face …