Unusual suspects
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease which comes with a lot of stigma. And some of the most well-known men and women of all times have been victims of this disease.
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013)
South Africa's former President contracted TB in 1988 while imprisoned in Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town. It was treated and cured early.
Tina Turner (Born 1939)
This American-born singer who became famous for hits like ‘Private Dancer’, ‘Nutbush City Limits’ and of course, ‘Simply the Best’, was diagnosed with TB at the age of 31. She had to spend two years in bed recovering from the illness.
Desmond Tutu (Born 1931)
South Africa's favourite former Archbishop rose to prominence in the 80s as a fearless opponent of apartheid. He was diagnosed with TB at the age of 14. A TB research centre at the University of Stellenbosch is named after him.
Ringo Starr (Born 1940)
The former Beatles drummer suffered several bouts of TB while growing up in England in the 40s. In those days TB sufferers were confined, and in an earlier interview he admitted that in these lonely periods, he developed an interest in drumming.
Cat Stevens (Born 1948)
Early in his career, at the age of 19, this British folk singer became seriously ill with Tuberculosis and a collapsed lung. The illness was quite severe when he was admitted to the hospital, and he spent many months recuperating from it.
DH Lawrence (Born 1885)
He was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter. In March 1925 he suffered a near fatal attack of malaria and Tuberculosis while on a third visit to Mexico.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Born 1876)
Jinnah was a lawyer, politician and the founder of Pakistan. In the 1930s, Jinnah suffered from Tuberculosis.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (Born 1884)
Anna Roosevelt was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements. In 1962 she suffered from Tuberculosis.
Louis Braille (Born 1809)
Louis Braille was a French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by the blind or visually impaired. His system is simply known the world over as braille. Braille suffered from Tuberculosis.
Kamala Kaul Nehru (Born 1899)
Kamala Nehru was a freedom fighter, Jawaharlal Nehru’s wife and Indira Gandhi’s mother. Kamala Nehru suffered from Tuberculosis and ultimately died of it.
Srinivasa Ramanujan (Born 1887)
Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician and made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. During the first world war, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and confined to a sanatorium.
Ho Chi Minh (Born 1890)
He was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). In 1927 he was said to be recuperating from Tuberculosis in Crimea.