Stories of survivors leading the fight to end TB
Most people assume tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient disease of the past; this couldn’t be further from the truth. TB is still very much present in all countries, and in most regions is increasing. TB is the world’s leading infectious disease killer. TB is a preventable and curable infectious disease that still affects over 10 million lives a year and kills over one million people—more than HIV and malaria combined.
It is very easy to become overwhelmed by appalling statistics when discussing TB. While understanding the scale of the challenge is essential, it is all too easy to lose sight of the people that make up the data. The individual lives affected by a disease that we could eradicate with more money and political will.
In 2024, Results UK interviewed six remarkable people across four continents who have overcome TB and are now advocates for change. This collection is their stories, the realities they faced in managing this devastating disease, and how they learned to advocate for themselves when no one else would and, in doing so, became beacons of hope for other people affected by TB. Their stories are shared here to help change the public perception of TB, de-stigmatise the condition, and promote person-centred, gender and rights-responsive care and treatment.
The stories have some common elements of stigma and mental health struggles that were experienced by all the people with lived experience of TB, showing that the difficulties experienced by people with TB are not specific to one country or region but rather are shared across the world. The people sharing their stories are everyday people like you and me, people with families, people going to college and work, people wanting to get on with their lives. The stories are told in the words of the individuals affected (English was not the first language for some). Their direct quotes and how they expressed their experiences and feelings are told in their voice.
TB champions, Fatima, Joi and Caroline share their stories in the hope of bringing about change to help end TB. Hear their voices, learn from their experiences, and join the call to end TB