Two-year-old with spinal TB walks again
Hudson’s mother Janet knew something was wrong when her two-year-old stopped walking.
“Three months ago when he got the back problem and was unable to walk, I took him [to the doctors]...and they put him on treatment [for tuberculosis],” Janet says in a softly spoken voice.
“They told me to keep him on the medicines but he was still sore so...I explained to the doctors that I needed to take him to Daru for an x-ray. They found spinal TB in the x-ray.”
TB is a type of bacteria that settles in the lungs and can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, brain, or in Hudson’s case, the spine. The disease is spread through the air when a person infected with TB coughs, sneezes, spits or talks. It causes persistent coughing, weight loss, fever, loss of appetite and chest and back pain.
TB is a very serious issue in Papua New Guinea where Hudson lives. Every two hours a person dies from TB and there are currently more than 20,000 cases of TB in the country. In the past, many people with TB have gone undiagnosed and untreated because of fear, stigma and poverty.
Children are particularly vulnerable to TB because they often have weaker immune systems and it is more difficult to diagnose the disease in children. Hudson was lucky his mother took him to the Daru hospital in PNG’s Western Province where World Vision trained healthcare workers provide specialised treatment to TB patients. The doctors gave Hudson anti-TB drugs that targeted his type of TB.
After one week of treatment in Daru hospital, Hudson was able to return to his community where his treatment is being continued at his local healthcare centre. Janet diligently takes him to the clinic every morning at 8am for his tablets, which she says he is very happy to take.
A smile spreads across Janet’s face when she talks about how her baby can now run around and play with his friends again. She hugs Hudson protectively and gives her thanks to the doctors who have helped to save her son’s life.
World Vision’s TB program operates in 20 provinces across PNG as part of the government's National TB program. One of World Vision’s roles is to address people’s misconceptions about the disease and provide clear, factual information about TB and how it can be treated. The projects also help communities to access the treatment they need, encourage patients to continue with treatment, train healthcare workers and clinically manage TB cases.
World Vision started working in the Western Province in February 2012. The project is funded by AusAid and we work in partnership with the provincial and national level government authorities.