Posted on 20 October, 2012

Photo: Young MDR-TB patients take part in developmental activities at the pediatric hospital in Dushanbe. Tajikistan 2012 © Natasha Sergeeva/MSF

Treating “Family Tuberculosis” in Tajikstan

For the first time, children in Tajikistan with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are receiving treatment for the life-threatening disease. MSF’s new ward in Tajikstan will treat 60-100 children with TB, with special attention to family treatment.

“For MSF, a child often serves as an entry point into a family with TB,” says Zarkua. “When we identify a sick child, we can provide the family with information on how to reduce the spread of the disease, and we can trace contacts within the family to see who else might be infected.”