Name: __________________________________

TB: Silent Killer Video Assignment

Due Tuesday, October 3

For this assignment, you will watch at least 45 minutes of an hour and a half video on Tuberculosis (TB),
an airborne infectious disease that is curable and preventable, but still kills 4,000 people every day,
mostly poor, marginalized populations in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Angola, Malawi,
Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, and Swaziland. TB ranks alongside HIV/AIDS as a leading
cause of death worldwide. There are over 8 million new TB infections every year, and with quick
diagnosis, isolation, and a 6-month regimen of medicine, survival is assured. Yet, accessing medication
can be difficult for people in countries with inadequate health care systems. In addition, a new form of TB
has emerged multi-drug resistant TB, that requires more expensive, more toxic medication, taken over
an 18-month period. For patients with multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB), treatment success rates are
much lower.

This video follows the lives of 3 people in Swaziland who have TB: Nokubheka (a 12-year old orphan
who lives with her older brother Melusi), Bheki (a builder who loves soccer), and Zandile (Bhekis sister).

Task #1: Please watch at least 45 minutes of the PBS Frontline video TB: Silent Killer found at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/tb-silent-killer/

Task #2: Write a few paragraphs explaining what you saw, heard, and learned about TB and Swaziland.
What sort of landscape do you see in Swaziland? What sort of life do Nokubheka and Melusi have? What
makes Nokubheka happiest? We hear that Nokubheka has MDR TB what does this mean for her (and
Melusi)? How long will the treatment take? Swaziland has the highest rate of TB infection in the world,
partly because of what? We meet Bheki and Zandile, both of whom have MDR TB and HIV. How are
their lives affected by these diseases? How does the stigma of TB impact the spread of the disease? Who
takes care of Bheki and Zandile? How does this person describe the current health situation in Swaziland?
Why do so few people with MDR TB get the treatment they need? What agency is helping Bheki and
Zandile get their medicine? How can side effects impact a TB patients pill regimen? How did Nokubheka
catch MDR TB? How can others get it? What is Nokubhekas treatment plan? Meanwhile, where is
Zandile, and how is she? How is Bheki doing with his treatment? Is his life changing? What does
Nokubheka say about her new life in the hospital? How is Melusi doing without his sister? Later, we see
both Bheki and Zandile struggling, though in different ways. Why does Bheki want to stop taking
medications? What does he say about his life? In the end, what would you suggest to Swazilands health
officials to fight TB more effectively? Anything else youd like to add?
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