By Ragna Frans | project assistant
The past weeks Lulu and her Mkuta colleagues have been busy tracking down over 200 patients that were found by APOPO’s HeroRATs. Thanks to your support they were also able to set up TB information sessions and carry out numerous house visits to follow up on patients and their treatment.
“I really notice the impact of what I do”, says Lulu. “One hospital where I work for example heard over the past weeks that the HeroRATs found more than 40 patients that were initially missed by microscopy and I managed to track down every single one of them. Before Mkuta started working in the hospitals, most people left without providing any contact information so they could not be contacted when positive test results came back. Accordingly they didn’t receive treatment, risked infecting others and often they passed away”.
The Mkuta volunteers like Lulu do everything in their power to make sure TB patients get a timely treatment. “I can be very persistent”, says Lulu with a smile. “I don’t let anybody leave without writing down at least one phone number and I check if the number is working. I also accompany people to their homes, especially elderly people, so I can visit them there if necessary.”
Apart from helping APOPO and the public clinics to find patients, Lulu has been sensitizing people about the disease. “We talk to people coming to the clinics for a test and hand out correct information”, explains Lulu. “Many people have a very poor understanding of the disease. They don't really know how you get it, how you recognise it and how you can treat it. Many think you can't be treated at all so they wait too long or fail going to the hospital for a test”.
Lulu has also raised awareness of TB in schools, talked to people on the street and addressed TB myths at public gatherings. “As a former TB patient, I can speak out of experience and people listen to my story”, she noted. “The more people are well-informed, the sooner people seek help and can get diagnosed. I hope Mkuta and APOPO’s joint efforts will help curb the spread of this devastating disease in Dar Es Salaam!”
Lulu, the other Mkuta volunteers and APOPO would like to thank you for your kind support making all this possible. “I’d like to say ASANTENI SANA, thank you all very very much”, concludes Lulu.
To make sure that TB positive patients identified by the HeroRATs can start treatment, APOPO works with two Tanzanian NGO’s composed of volunteers many of which are former TB patients or are living with HIV (MKUTA and PASADA). These volunteers greet every TB patient at clinic entry stage and ask them to provide a reliable telephone number and physical address. This makes tracking at a later stage easier. They also sensitize communities about TB, dispelling stigma and explaining that TB fast diagnosis is important to remain healthy and to avoid further infecting family and colleagues.
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