Before COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB) was the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Though rare in the United States, the disease is prevalent in many parts of the world and kills millions each year. John Yang tells us of one scientist’s journey to the discovery both of a new tool to fight TB, and of her own potential.

May 14, 2021 video and resource materials from PBS NewsHour. Find the original story at PBS NewsHour Extra.

Summary: 

• Before COVID-19, tuberculosis was the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing 1.4 million people in 2019, far more than HIV/AIDS.
• Dr. Mireille Kamariza, 31, grew up in Burundi, a landlocked country in east Africa. She moved to the U.S. as a teenager and enrolled at a community college. Through mentors who encouraged her, Kamariza went on to Berkeley and Stanford and is now a fellow at Harvard.
• At her Silicon Valley startup, Kamariza is working on a potential breakthrough diagnostic tool to fight tuberculosis. “I’m hoping that not only would [the tool] get to where it needs to be,” she said, “but I’m also hoping that the story of how it was made will inspire the people in those communities, whether they’re young boys or young girls.”

Discussion:

Warm up questions: Have your students identify the 5Ws and an H:

• Who is interviewed in this piece?
• Why did Kamariza say she didn’t think it was ever possible to become a scientist?
• What is the invention that Kamariza is working on?
• How does the pandemic make scientific progress harder?
• When might the diagnostic tool be available to the public?

Then have students share with the class or through a Learning Management System (LMS).

Focus question: Do you think people’s personal experiences growing up including conversations with family members, friends and mentors affect their choices as adults, including career paths?

Media literacy: How do video chats like Zoom help people connect? Do you feel you missed anything with the reporter and guests not being in the same room? Explain.

Check out our Daily News Story collection, or find more at PBS NewsHour Extra.