The Holy Bible in Job says that all people born of a woman live a very short life and full of problems, this therefore means that all people will die.
While it is true that we are all destined to die at our different predetermined times we also need to make deliberate efforts to live longer and healthy lives nomatter how difficult our circumstances are. A lot of people have died prematurely because of lack of taking proper care of their health.
Witches and witchcraft have been unfairly blamed for many deaths and if the truth were to be told most deaths are due to natural causes and our own carelessness among other causes .In this week’s article I shall talk about the devastating effects of TB on people especially those living with HIV. I think TB has killed more people living with HIV than any other opportunistic disease.
Let me hasten to repeat that I am not an expert on HIV in the medical sense but I have learnt a lot during my long stay with HIV and can call myself an expert in living with HIV .I have learnt how dangerous TB is and how it has claimed the lives of many people living with HIV and ex TB patients and today I want to talk about the dangers posed by TB to people living with HIV and those who have suffered from TB in the past .I shall use the knowledge I’ve gained from my own experience as a former TB patient and the experience I have gained by observing others like me suffer and die from TB
When I suffered from what later tested to be TB in 1999 I was moved from one medical facility to another and many people except myself thought that I had malaria or had been bewitched. What helped me most was the fact that I don’t have much faith in witchcraft and hence requested that I be taken to a hospital instead of to n’angas or prophets. As my illness progressed from bad to worse I began to suspect that what I was suffering from was TB because I had read widely about it and thought I had all the symptoms of TB.
People must familiarise themselves with how their bodies work to avoid unnecessary health surprises. TB comes in waves and on the onset it may manifest itself like malaria with little or no productive cough at all then it moves slowly but surely destroying it’s victim’s appetite for food hence causing weight loss and general body weakness until the victim if not initiated on medication quickly is rendered iMobile. Coupled with weight loss is general body weakness until the victim is no longer able to walk .One situation all TB patients should avoid is falling sick until they’re unable to lift themselves up .When a patient is unable to lift themselves up they become so vulnerable and those close to them can now make decisions the patient can no longer deny or accept.
One’s health is one’s responsibility and everybody should make an effort to keep themselves fit. Superstition and other harmful religious practices should be avoided be avoided at all costs. I have watched a lot of people waste away while believing that witches were responsible for their ailments. I think if ever we are going to heaven a lot of us will be surprised to find out that all those people we called witches here on earth were not witches after all. The worst witch is none other than yourself my dear brother and sister.
The first round of TB is easier to manage if diagnosed early enough because it can be treated using tablets only. The most dangerous is the second or third TB attack which now requires both tablets and injections. TB diagnosed late can be very dangerous because it is usually drug resistant and very stubborn to treat
All people living with HIV should take periodic TB checks at their nearest medical facilities such as clinics hospitals and such other places. Those who have suffered from TB before should be more vigilant to avoid relapse. I strongly suspect that some of the deaths taking place these days are caused by TB and if possible those in the medical field should do research to establish the causes of these deaths.
Piason Maringwa
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