Manjit started suffering from bouts of cough and fever in July 2023. He went from one doctor to another seeking cure, but he could not get his illness diagnosed; he did not get any relief. On the contrary, his condition kept worsening. Manjit, a native of Bihar, had migrated to Delhi many years ago with his parents. He works in a pipe market and lives in New Seemapuri urban slum, East Delhi, in a rented accommodation with his wife and three daughters.

“I was very sick. My body had become very weak. I was unable to walk by myself. There was constant coughing and fever. I consulted many doctors and consumed a lot of medicines. I was even put on typhoid medication for more than 20 days. But with every new treatment, instead of improving, my condition worsened. I suffered from this undiagnosed disease for more than three months. I had no clue what was happening to me, and perhaps neither did the doctors. I underwent a battery of tests for months. But no doctor asked me to get my sputum tested [for TB],” recounted Manjit in early April 2024.

Observing Manjit’s plight, one of his neighbours suggested reaching out to a community health worker, Shanti. The neighbour had observed Shanti raising TB awareness in their community and could identify some of the symptoms of TB with Manjit’s health problems.

Manjit contacted Shanti and she took Manjit to the nearby private X-ray clinic in Saboli area of East Delhi and got a free chest X-ray done. It showed Manjit as presumptive for TB. Then, they went to the Red Cross healthcare centre where sputum microscopy confirmed TB. Subsequently, Shanti took Manjit to GTB Hospital for a free WHO recommended molecular test via Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) and drug susceptibility test via Line Probe Assay (LPA). Drug susceptibility test is done to ensure that the TB bacteria that infects a person is not resistant to the medicines they are treated with. Manjit started his TB medication. His Ni-kshay ID was made and he was put on treatment on the same day (Ni-kshay is a web-enabled real-time patient management system of the government’s National TB Elimination Program).

Shanti is a field officer at Humana People to People India (HPPI) for the Project LEAD or Leveraging, Engaging and Advocating to Disrupt TB Transmission. The Project is supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI), in close coordination with the Indian government’s National TB Elimination Program (NTEP).

Early detection and treatment is important to stop the spreading of disease and human suffering. As there is always a likelihood of TB infection of the lungs to spread to others, Shanti went with Manjit to his home and counseled his wife to get herself and their three daughters screened and tested for TB. His wife was initially reluctant to go for a TB test as none of them had any TB symptoms. But upon Shanti’s insistence she got convinced to take a free TB test. All tested negative except for one of their daughters who was found positive for TB of the lungs.

Consequently, Manjit’s daughter was taken to GTB Hospital for CBNAAT molecular test and LPA drug susceptibility test. Her condition was serious and she had to be admitted in the hospital for over two weeks. A CT scan later confirmed that she had abdominal TB too (in addition to TB of the lungs). Her treatment had also begun on the same day that she got diagnosed with TB.

Shanti did daily follow-ups and visited Manjit and his daughter regularly during their entire course of treatment. Both of them got their medicines from the nearest dispensary in New Seemapuri. They received health education, treatment literacy, importance of treatment adherence, nutrition, infection control (like wearing a mask) and other support to tide through their treatment journey. Shanti also ensured that both got food ration supplements every month, courtesy an NGO operating in New Seemapuri dispensary. Also, she connected them to Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, a government scheme in India to provide 500 rupees per month for tuberculosis patients to buy food.

Manjit successfully completed his six-month long TB treatment on 1st of April 2024, and has tested TB free. According to Manjit, “I gave the disease a good fight – ate my medicines on time and kept my morale and confidence high – that I will get cured. And I won the battle. I defeated TB.” His daughter too is recovering well.

Manjit is not only a TB survivor but also a TB champion. He actively goes to health awareness camps to encourage those with symptoms to get screened for TB, and those with TB disease to stay strong, seek support and finish the treatment.

The indomitable spirit of Manjit and the unstinted support of Shanti bear testimony to the fact that – Yes, we can end TB.