| Faces of Hope Defeating Tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: Lina is an active 20-year-old who became very sick in 2006. Doctors treated her for other diseases since her initial tuberculosis (TB) tests were returned as negative. However, her persistent cough increased in severity and she eventually tested positive for TB. Lina is the first patient from the Taurama Barracks clinic to benefit from HOPE worldwide’s TB control activities. The HOPE worldwide team helped inform Lina about fixed-dose combination drugs and helped her reduce her daily pill burden from 12 tablets to 3. “I look in the mirror everyday and see changes. I see myself gaining new life everyday,” said Lina. HOPE worldwide – Papua New Guinea staff partnered Lina with a committed community-minded volunteer at the Taurama clinic named Tahuni Tom. “Lina was really down on the first day,” Tahuni remembers. “After the changes in her after three days, it really encouraged me and made me see how important my work as a volunteer was. She is putting on weight and is bright and happy.”
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