For months, a relentless spiral of cough, fever and diminishing strength defined Sivaranjani’s life. The 24-year-old from Barur, a quiet village in Tamil Nadu, had visited doctor after doctor, endured examination after examination, but no one could explain why her body was wasting away.

By early 2020, his weight had dropped to 28 kg (62 lb). His family could only watch in helpless despair as his health deteriorated. Then came the crisis – the violent culmination of months of fever and exhaustion.

Rushed unconscious to a government hospital, Sivaranjani spent two days in the intensive care unit as doctors struggled to stabilize her.

Finally, the mystery was solved: she had tuberculosis.

“It was just hell,” Sivaranjani told This Week in Asia, his voice shaking as he recounted the diagnosis. “Once I was diagnosed with tuberculosis, my whole life was turned upside down. »