Until very recently, I knew the things that most people know about tuberculosis.
Now I know a lot more – and enough to be both cross and hopeful.
I’m cross because this is truly a neglected disease. There are effective diagnosis and treatment tools and these have saved millions of lives. But TB continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide.
Around two billion people are estimated to be infected with the bacteria that cause TB. Most of the people who fall ill with TB live in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. And 1.5 million people die from TB each year – making it the world’s top infectious killer.
I will say it again: this is a preventable and curable disease, which kills people all over the world, many of them the poorest of the poor. Malnutrition and HIV interact with it, making the problem worse.
I’m hopeful because I’ve spent time with people who are doing something about all this.
I was part of a group of facilitators at training conducted by Quote This Woman+ (QW+) for the annual meeting of an international network of scientists and experts working in the TB vaccine field.
The QW+ training took a group of just under 30 early-career researchers in the field through the process of thinking about how to turn their detail-driven medical research into compelling stories.
What I learned
The people in the room were simply amazing. Over the course of two days, we heard stories from people who had themselves suffered from TB, or who had had a family member die from the disease. There were medical doctors from the United States who encountered rare (to them) patients with TB and decided to do what they could. There were people who simply became fascinated by the complexity of the problem.
From various disciplines and from different countries, these young people are working in labs and community settings, trying to find a more effective vaccine against the disease – a vaccine that would be a powerful weapon in the effort to reduce the incidence of TB.
I came away inspired, feeling I had been in the presence of heroes. Because there is something heroic in dedicating your working life to researching a disease that is deeply important and yet overlooked much of the time. These young people are the future of this particular branch of science. I think we’re in good hands.
Main picture: TB researchers at the University of Cape Town in 2017. By Robket, CC BY-SA 4.0.
OTHER THINGS I HAVE WRITTEN
What will we give up to fix a broken world? – What would people in the first world have to give up to fix a broken world? I suspect it will take more than they think.
When communication is a generational thing – Everyone – from business leaders to parents – has something to learn from Gen Z communication styles…
What Generation Z think about news – Journalism is going through a tough time – but things are going to get even more interesting, as Generation Z brings its way of using online platforms to the table.
Leaving home ain’t what it used to be – My son is leaving home – sort of. But for young people in 2024, this is not the simple process it used to be. Kindness and understanding are key…
How can I help you make order from chaos?
Join the Safe Hands AI Explorer learning circle!
Sign up for my Sensible Woman’s Guide to AI and Content Creation, which comes out fortnightly.
Or sign up for my personal fortnightly email newsletter In Safe Hands (it’s a place to pause and think about things).
Book a free half hour of my time, here. Find out how I can help with writing, editing, project management, general clear thinking, technical hand holding, or an introduction to AI.
Contact me via email.