TB: Silent Killer

Tuberculosis was once a great infectious scourge in America. Although greatly diminished as a domestic threat, TB is now a growing menace in Swaziland and other parts of southern Africa, where it is not only spreading but also becoming resistant to treatment. Filmmaker Jezza Neumann's PBS-aired Frontline documentary takes viewers inside southern Africa's TB hospitals, where many patients already have immune systems compromised by HIV, and are hesitant about getting treatment, choosing to avoid the stigma by keeping their diagnosis a secret or delaying taking action. Sometimes multiple generations are stricken with TB, leaving behind orphans with no one to care for them. One 12-year-old girl here, who lost her mother to the disease, is now confined in a distant hospital for many months at a time, with no family or friends able to visit, and very little for her to do. Many patients stop taking their meds because of painful side effects including acute nausea and weight loss, which can often lead to worse permanent conditions such as hearing loss, or even death. TB is a highly contagious disease that requires space and isolation, but there are too few beds for patients, and sometimes it is difficult to find enough staff to care for them. A bleak but informative documentary on a terrible situation in Ebola-afflicted Africa that also underscores the potential wider health risks in our era of global travel, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)