LONDON, Jul 24 2018 (IPS) - A group of teenage boys huddle around Michelle in the mangroves behind Joyce Bay, a spot frequented by men who have sex with men (MSM) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

TB has now surpassed HIV as the world’s deadliest infectious disease, and Romania has the highest number of drug-resistant TB cases in the EU. Tom Maguire, who works for campaign group Results, visited hospitals, sanatoriums and prisons in Romania to meet with drug-resistant TB patients. His photos capture the loneliness that many patients feel being away from their loved ones, recieving treatment that can last up to two years.

Today we’re posting a second blog from Tom Maguire’s, part of the Campaigns Team at RESULTS UK, visit to Romania. During his time, Tom met with a young woman called Cristina to discuss her experience of living with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This guest blog from Cristina shows the huge impact MDR-TB can have on a young woman’s life and the level of courage and determination that is needed to complete two years of treatment.