When 28-year-old Zipporah was approached by her mentor to join South Africa’s first nurse training program for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in KwaZulu-Natal, she did not hesitate. The CDC-supported program had one goal: to train nurses to effectively treat and care for patients afflicted with one of the deadliest forms of TB – within one of the world’s most affected regions.
“If TB were a snake, the body and the tail are in the rest of the world, and the teeth and the head are here in KwaZulu-Natal,” says Zipporah.
As TB is both airborne and contagious, Zipporah’s loved ones were understandably afraid. “My family was very scared for me, saying ‘you could get exposed to this disease,’” she remembers. But not long after joining the program, her family’s concerns were soon eclipsed by her passion to see patients survive and thrive.
Today, four years later, the program has expanded and grown roots. Gone are the days when Zipporah was one of a handful of trained nurses, nationwide, capable of providing care and treatment for those with MDR-TB. Today, she now trains and mentors the next generation of nurses to do this life-changing work.
“It’s empowering to know I have added years to a patient’s life,” says Zipporah. “These things are real progress. These things are greater than fear.”