“Drug-resistant TB: a patient’s perspective”

Shaka Brown is a world-famous salsa dancer whose life changed drastically in the summer of 2013 when he developed symptoms including night sweats, weight loss of over 20kg, and leg weakness.  He was diagnosed with disseminated drug-resistant tuberculosis with miliary, pericardial, CNS, retinal, vertebral, psoas, renal, hepatic, testicular and prostatic involvement.  He spent four months in hospital with a further admission for excision of a cerebral tuberculoma 8 months into treatment, and is due to finish treatment in May/June 2015.  He uses this experience to raise awareness about TB and has spoken at a variety of infectious diseases and immunology conferences in the USA.  On April 26th he will run the London Marathon to raise funds for St George’s charity World Without TB.

Shaka will speak at the Infection Department’s weekly academic seminar about his experiences as a patient in Miami.