Lisan Parker, who is transitioning into her new role as Research Liason to the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), filed this report on her recent trip to South Africa:

As part of my trip to South Africa as Research Liaison to K-RITH, I and colleagues of the TB Research Center (Johns Hopkins University) and K-RITH visited a number of TB clinical sites. We were interested in better understanding current TB clinical capacity and challenges faced by patients and care providers alike.

Each site was different; they were either private or public, had laboratories on-site or sent collected sputum samples off-site for evaluation, had access to hi-tech diagnostic equipment or standard laboratory equipment alone. While no pictures were taken of patients at any site, two things are clear: there is no shortage of patients and there is a definite need for more doctors, care-providers, and scientists. The following pictures were taken at McCord Hospital and Prince Cyril Zulu Communicable Diseases Centre.

title="McCord Hospital-TB Risk questionnaire read to susptected patients"
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data-image-id="13"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="McCord Hospital-TB Risk questionnaire read to susptected patients"
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alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
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title="A temporary lab area at McCord Hospital for analyzing TB samples"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270077.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270077.jpg"
data-image-id="14"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="A temporary lab area at McCord Hospital for analyzing TB samples"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270077.jpg"
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title="Another view of same McCord lab"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270078.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270078.jpg"
data-image-id="15"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Another view of same McCord lab"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270078.jpg"
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title="Walkway to TB Centre at McCord"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270080.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270080.jpg"
data-image-id="16"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Walkway to TB Centre at McCord"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270080.jpg"
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title="McCord TB Centre where TB patients are counseled and samples are collected"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270087.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270087.jpg"
data-image-id="17"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="McCord TB Centre where TB patients are counseled and samples are collected"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270087.jpg"
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title="Another view of the TB Centre"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270090.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270090.jpg"
data-image-id="18"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Another view of the TB Centre"
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alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270090.jpg"
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title="Sinikithemba, the HIV/AIDS clinic at McCord where patients receive their ARV treatment"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270094.jpg"
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data-image-id="19"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Sinikithemba, the HIV/AIDS clinic at McCord where patients receive their ARV treatment"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270094.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
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title=""
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270097.jpg"
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data-image-id="20"
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alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
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title="Outside the patient waiting room"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270101.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270101.jpg"
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data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Outside the patient waiting room"
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alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270101.jpg"
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title="Siyaphila, the site for K-RITH\'s future EBA studies"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9270105.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9270105.jpg"
data-image-id="22"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Siyaphila, the site for K-RITH's future EBA studies"
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title="The pharmacy window at Prince Cyril Zulu Communicable Diseases Centre, also known as the Durban Chest Clinic"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280107.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280107.jpg"
data-image-id="23"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="The pharmacy window at Prince Cyril Zulu Communicable Diseases Centre, also known as the Durban Chest Clinic"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280107.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
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title="The digital chest x-ray machine"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280108.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280108.jpg"
data-image-id="24"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="The digital chest x-ray machine"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280108.jpg"
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title="Images can be viewed immediately on the screen in the room attached to the x-ray machine"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280114.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280114.jpg"
data-image-id="25"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Images can be viewed immediately on the screen in the room attached to the x-ray machine"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280114.jpg"
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title="An exam room"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280115.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280115.jpg"
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data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="An exam room"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280115.jpg"
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title="Patient medical history is collected in the database including chest x-rays for ready access by doctors and nurses"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280118.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280118.jpg"
data-image-id="27"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Patient medical history is collected in the database including chest x-rays for ready access by doctors and nurses"
>
title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280118.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
style="max-width:100%;"
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title="A comparative chest x-ray of a patient before and after a few months on standard TB treatment"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280120.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280120.jpg"
data-image-id="28"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="A comparative chest x-ray of a patient before and after a few months on standard TB treatment"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280120.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
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title=""
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280121.jpg"
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data-image-id="29"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
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title="The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is responsible for most of South Africa\'s TB microbiology labs"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280122.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280122.jpg"
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data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is responsible for most of South Africa's TB microbiology labs"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280122.jpg"
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title="An \'elevator\' for TB patient sputum sample transfer from the clinic to the lab"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280123.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280123.jpg"
data-image-id="31"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="An 'elevator' for TB patient sputum sample transfer from the clinic to the lab"
>
title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280123.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
style="max-width:100%;"
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title="Slide stainer for TB smears"
data-src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/p9280126.jpg"
data-thumbnail="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280126.jpg"
data-image-id="32"
data-title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
data-description="Slide stainer for TB smears"
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title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"
src="/wp-content/gallery/k-rith-set-one/thumbs/thumbs_p9280126.jpg"
width="100"
height="75"
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