Nurse from Zimbabwe Received Award From the International AIDS Society for Showing the Efficiency of Rapid TB tests

Chenai Mathabire, the zimbabwean nurse received award from the an International AIDS Society for showing the efficiency of rapid TB tests and the results they give if implemented at medical facilities of Africa. Her patience is needed by patients with HIV positive status who contract tuberculosis. In a statement, International AIDS Society president Linda-Gail Bekker said that Mathabire's research will "support the next generation of investigators whose work can help to change the course of this epidemic."

"Nursing is often looked down upon and people just think you are there to be the maid of the doctor or do the dirty work. But teachers made me realize that nurses have a big role to play," says Mathabire. She works in Doctors Without Borders program; the team where who worked found how effective could be the implementation of TB test for HIV-positive patients in some districts of Malawi and Mozambique. Early testing for TB in patients with HIV is highly important for the lives of the patients. The group where Mathabire nurse worked provided other researchers and specialists with the needed data to implement the needed tests. The nurse also noted how important is the enthusiasm the patients passed the tests. Patients were grateful for modern tests. After the publication of Mathabire and her team work, some medical facilities  in Southern Africa were inspired by the results and start working with rapid HIV tests.

Courtesy of MSF