Francisco, a 11-year-old boy, began showing signs of TB in July 2024, yet his symptoms were overlooked for months. It was only in March 2025 that he finally started treatment for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), long after the first warning signs.

“At first, I noticed that my child was weak and had no appetite. Initially, they [doctors] didn't do any tests. When tests were [finally] done, nothing showed up. They told us that the child had no disease. When we went to the hospital for the second time and had the tests done again, that’s when they told us that the child had drug-resistant TB. It took a long time to start the treatment even though he started to feel ill eight months ago.” said Fernando Jorge Anasomia, father of Francisco, Mueda, Mozambique. “