Kenya: Multidrug-resistant TB on the rise

When Jane Mwende noticed a swollen gland under the armpit of her 10-month-old baby, she never took it seriously. She thought it was a boil which would eventually clear. “I took him for a check up and the doctor at a private hospital in Nairobi gave us some ointment to apply and said the infection should clear in a few days,” Mwende said. This was however not to be. For about five months, Mwende moved from different hospitals trying to seek help for her son who was now beginning to lose weight. “I went to about six doctors and none of them seemed to get to the bottom of the problem.”  She visited a facility where she requested the doctor to conduct different check-ups on her son. The medic carried out multiple tests among them HIV, cancer, liver, kidney and chronic ailment examinations. “That was a shocking moment for me.