The counsellors not only visit their home on regular

Project Axshya has seen many happy endings, but there are many who are struggling with TB and the adverse effects of poverty. They got married in 2014. The make their ends meet, the parents try to do everything so that Annu can be given fresh and the best food as unfortunately she is not eligible for any of the welfare schemes granted by the government. Sonu’s cough was still persisting at the time of marriage, but he denied going through the diagnosis for the second time. From April this year she would be back in the company of books, said Deepak Mehto of project Axshya. Operation Axshya providers are working round-the-clock to help them regain their health and happiness. Her grandfather, 75, whose favourite pastime is hookah has just been diagnosed with TB. “She is banned from everything. -Aditi Sharma World TB Day will be observed on March 24.World TB Day will be observed on March 24. We are vigilant about these kind of cases and continue to support them,” said Dr Sarabjit Chadha, project director, Axshya. With about 2,500 families, here small houses and big families are a norm. Abhi to mein kuch nahi karti, bethi rehti hoon (I cannot play with my brother now, cannot do anything. So when 18-year-old Shabnam was diagnosed with TB, there was “nothing unusual”.After her treatment gets over Shabnam wants to go with her friends to school, which she had to drop out of two years back.She may be 16, but Annu looks half her age.

The counsellors not only visit their home on regular basis to make sure that she is well taken care of to prevent further infection within the family but also helping her continue her studies. Even as the family saw her coughing with persistent fever, the stigma and taboo was such that they were not agreeing for treatment and wanted to marry her off. She is frail, pale, her chest bones are prominent and she has deep sunken eyes.Confined to one small room, Annu is desperately waiting for completion of her course of medicines for it would mean “freedom”. “Abhi nahi khel sakti, kuch din baad to khel sakenge bhai ke sath. Even today some villages in India are battling not just TB, but the stigma attached to it which is very common. Sonu, 28, who denied going through a diagnosis for TB, before his marriage, at his home. There is a cross-infection. After marriage the couple didn’t disclose to each other and after three months of marriage, when Axshya team visited their home during a household survey Rakhi came to know that Sonu had TB earlier. With population of about 15,00,000 of Sonepat, in rural villages of the district, here TB incidence rate is alarming. She doesn’t go to school and is not even allowed to play with her three-year-old brother, Rishabh.At a distance of 38-km from the national capital, this small village called West Ram Nagar in Sonepat is a hub for TB cases. Before marriage both had taken medication for TB but didn’t disclose it to each other. Annu is just another teen unfortunate enough to suffer from a disease like tuberculosis. However, like Annu there are many families of west Ram Nagar that are supported by project Axshya team.MDR-TB occurs when a person defaults on the treatment a number of times and the bacteria mutate to become resistant to one, two or all the medicines in the treatment. I just keep sitting),” she said Computerized Flat Knitting Machine as tears fall down her face. Annu suffers from multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB and has been on heavy doses of medicine since October 2014. However, the frequent visits by Axshya community volunteer Maihar Singh worked and Shabnam’s father agreed for the treatment.Despite the obvious symptoms, the disease wasn’t detected for a long time. Unfortunately, the baby died. In fact “all three of them are the relapse cases. During that period she developed a persistent cough, had high fever every evening and frequent night sweats. “We have found a private donor who would help her get free education.Close to Shabnam’s house lives another couple Rakhi (23) and Sonu (28). “The volunteer regularly visits them to ensure timely medication,” said Dr Sudhi, technical officer, team Axshya. Even today some villages in India are battling not just TB, but the stigma attached to it which is very common. All she does is “cable knitting” that her mother taught her during her school holidays earlier.Few miles away from West Ram Nagar is another village Dhatauli.It was two years back when her condition started to steadily deteriorate after her two elder brothers fell ill three years ago and died due to an “unknown” ailment. However, in their lonely fight against the deadly bacteria, Annu’s family is thankful to project Axshya conducted by the Union partners. She cannot play with anyone. Rakhi is continuing with the treatment and will complete her medicine course in March 2016. Her condition forced her to stay at home and rest. Two years back Shabnam’s grandmother Lilawati was put on DOTS treatment. Axshya which means “TB free” focuses on strengthening India’s TB control programme through advocacy, communication and social mobilisation. People are scared to come here as they think they will catch the cough from her,” said Annu’s father in a sad voice. Unfortunately the stigma attached to tuberculosis is very common in India and especially the villages where not many realise how wrong this isolation of tuberculosis sufferers is. For the last two years she has not seen any of her friends. Both were diagnosed with TB again, Rakhi was pregnant at that time and delivered a baby in December 2015.