In 2018, Ophelia, a 32-year-old mother of 2 who lives in Azerbaijan, realized something was very wrong. She was feeling exhausted and could barely get out of bed without assistance. “I had pain, my chest hurt, I was weak and I was sweating,” she explained. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), joining the ranks of some 246 000 people with active TB in the WHO European Region today. Ophelia has extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), which is the most severe form of TB. She was immediately invited to join a treatment programme and is now completing her 12th month of therapy, out of a 2-year regimen. Luckily, there are new TB medicines in Ophelia’s treatment regimen, she is responding well to therapy, and will most likely combat the disease.
