©InfoRosa contracted HIV through drug use and TB in prison following a drug-related conviction. After her release from prison Rosa, 47, successfully went through treatment for TB. She received support from the Kazakh Red Crescent and now works with them to help people going through the same thing she did.
Rosa is now team co-ordinator for the Red Crescent TB/HIV co-infection project, funded by AstraZeneca through the British Red Cross. The innovative approach to support the treatment of the dual epidemic is to deliver support through teams of three professionals including a social worker, lawyer and psychologist.
Growing in confidence
Although Rosa is HIV positive, she is on antiretroviral drugs and gets great satisfaction out of being able to help people, as she understands the difficulties of going through treatment and the stigma that people living with co-infection can face. She says: “Before I was just a drug user. Now I am more confident and have developed my own personality. Now I want to stay alive.”
In a typical day, Rosa assists up to 20 people living with TB and HIV: ex-prisoners, sex workers and injecting drug users. Her work includes emotional and practical support, employment assistance, medical escort and assignment to rehabilitation centers. The job is anything but easy, Rosa explains: “We face different obstacles in our daily work. For instance, many injecting drug users with TB often break the treatment regime, and sticking to the treatment is essential to overcome TB. We work hard to persuade them to stick to it, but results are not guaranteed.”
Rosa is a firm believer in the work of the Red Crescent. She has noticed a great improvement in the social attitudes towards people living with co-infection. She explains: “We used to actively look for people and invite them to visit our office to begin treatment and see the doctor. Now people with these specific needs come to us by themselves asking for more information and other support.”
Education is key
Rosa believes education is the most important aspect of the Red Crescent’s TB programme. “It is essential that people are aware of the risks of TB and HIV: how to prevent them, how to get treatment and how to support those who live with TB and HIV. When my daughter was at school they had special classes on TB and HIV prevention and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Looking at her completing her homework, I thought that if I had been aware of risks and preventative measures earlier, I would probably not have contracted it myself,” she says.
Spreading the word is one of Rosa’s main roles and the Red Crescent is already seeing the results. More people are now going through antiretroviral therapy, there are more referrals to rehabilitation centers and the number of repeat clients has reduced.
More about TB in Kazakhstan
Find out about community-based health