How PIH staff helped a stranger discover he had TB

Saulos Metio was walking around a market in Zalewa, a town bordering Neno and Blantyre districts in southern Malawi, when a stranger approached him-and began telling him about a place where he could get a free medical examination.

The stranger, site supervisor Igneous Katema from the nearby Partners In Health (PIH)-supported Zalewa Health Centre, was struck by Metio's appearance. Despite being in his 60s, Metio weighed only 35 kilograms (approximately 77 pounds). Katema also couldn't help but notice how unusual Metio's breathing sounded, and how tired he seemed.

Katema was in the thick of celebrating Global Health Justice Week, a campaign inspired by the legacy, teachings, and impact of PIH's co-founder, the late Dr. Paul Farmer, when he first met Metio. Farmer believed in bringing high-quality medical care to those who need it most-and spent his life working tirelessly to identify and treat patients all over the world.

That week, Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU), as PIH is known in Malawi, was also conducting a tuberculosis (TB) awareness campaign in Zalewa. Despite being completely preventable, treatable, and curable, TB remains the world's deadliest infectious disease. TB kills over 1 million people every year-a number so large it can feel incomprehensible.

In 2023, 10.8 million people contracted TB, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. Approximately 25,000 of them were in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries.

After Katema's intervention, Metio decided to visit the health center and was then taken to a portable X-ray machine that APZU procured in 2024 with funding from the Embassy of Japan. There, he learned he had joined countless others before him-he had active TB.

Metio couldn't stop coughing, had night sweats, and felt utterly exhausted.

"I was having trouble breathing," he said. "So, when the doctors said it was TB, I wasn't too surprised."

With the support of PIH, Metio began treatment immediately. He also quit smoking and halted his alcohol consumption at the advice of his doctors.

Metio had also been struggling to eat enough food. Without proper nutrition, it is nearly impossible to make a full recovery from tuberculosis. Beyond PIH's focus on building stronger health care systems and helping people access treatment, the organization also knows social support is essential to successful recovery.

Metio was soon enrolled in a PIH program to provide him with food to supplement his treatment. In the five months since, he has made drastic improvement-and recently finished treatment. The pain and exhaustion from active TB no longer rule his days.

Beyond being able to maintain his home, he has also begun to find piecework around Zalewa again, allowing him to earn an income and regain his livelihood.

No one should die of treatable illnesses. The more than 1 million people who die from TB every year have lives, passions, and interests just like Metio, but may not be lucky enough to have someone like Katema looking out for them. With your help, PIH can continue offering high quality health care, starting with those who need it most.