Thandeka is walking with her backpack through the streets of Khayelitsha. She is an
uNompilo - a community health worker. She is describing a typical experience of one of the people she is helping with Tuberculosis (TB).
“They don’t perceive them the same as people with other illnesses like diabetes. If a person who has TB uses a bowl or spoon, they make it look like they will get infected if they use the same utensils.”
This is not an isolated instance. We heard about women who are told to avoid contact with children for the six months they are on treatment, families being shunned for having someone with TB in their midst, people being dismissed from their jobs, excluded from family gatherings, and feeling like they are valued less as a person.
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