When tuberculosis strikes, it’s the beginning of a long journey for the patient. Standard “drug-susceptible” TB requires taking four antimicrobial drugs every day for at least six months. Often, patients start to feel better before finishing treatment, which can lead some to stop taking their medication. This is one way the journey can veer off course. It can also lead to drug resistance, because the tuberculosis bacteria hasn’t been wiped out.

In Belarus, more than 38% of new TB cases are drug-resistant. The global average is just over 4%.
Drug-resistant TB is curable. But the second-line drugs are more toxic and require up to two years of treatment. The journey becomes particularly arduous during this time, as people are isolated – fearing the stigma associated with TB and often unable to work or go to school. But keeping patients on treatment is essential to winning the fight against TB.

In Minsk, Red Cross volunteers provide support to TB patients on their journey to wellness.

HELP ON THE LINE
“Volunteers provide counseling and psychosocial support over the phone. People are on treatment for a long time, so volunteers help maintain adherence and avoid interruption,” says Red Cross psychologist Elena Yashehenko, who manages the volunteers. “It’s also about connecting people to services: clothing, food, job services. After six months in the hospital, patients frequently don’t have a job to return to. And another 18 months on treatment, with the stigma of TB, it can be difficult to find work.”