Review: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
When much loved author John Green visited Serra Leone with his wife Sarah to do some research into maternal and neonatal healthcare systems (the country has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world,) he was not expecting to become friends with Henry, a young man with the body of a boy, who was fighting tuberculosis. The meeting prompted Green to investigate further into the treatment and outcomes for TB patients in Serra Leone. What he found would rightly shock many people--that tuberculosis, which has been easily diagnosable and curable since the 1950s, is still one of the deadliest diseases in the world due to the medical inequalities that exist across the globe. In short, over a million people each year die of tuberculosis based on where they live and the medical treatment available. Angry yet? I know I am. John Green has used his anger to create this book. He examines the history of tuberculosis, the myths and stigma that surrounds the disease, the role of drug c...