Abdirahman* is 21 years old and comes from a rural area in Mudug. About a month before coming to hospital, he began to feel unwell, a persistent cough and sharp pain that lasted around 15 days. He assumed it was a bad cold that would pass. When the symptoms did not improve, he made the roughly six-hour journey to the MSF-supported TB facility in Galkayo, where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and admitted for treatment.
At home, drought had already hit his community hard, destroying livestock and removing any market for the animals that remained. Abdirahman says his appetite had already been poor before he became ill. He noticed no significant barrier in reaching the hospital himself, but says others in his community with similar symptoms have not come, mainly because they lack the financial means to travel or assume their cough is minor. Friends have contacted him since his admission, describing the same symptoms, sharp pain, fever and persistent cough. No family members were tested after his diagnosis.
At the facility, Abdirahman receives free TB treatment, Plumpy'Nut, porridge and a bed. He says the combination of food and medication has made a visible difference, but considers the nutritional support insufficient. When he takes his medication without enough food, he experiences itching and increased hunger. He views TB as a disease that can be treated if medication is taken consistently, though it requires months of commitment.
*Name changed for privacy.