ABSTRACT
This ethnography of cross-border tuberculosis (TB) healthcare seeking on Daru Island, Papua New Guinea, uncovers the complex interplay between individual experiences and broader social, economic, and political forces shaping TB prevalence and outcomes. Focusing on Aluni and her family’s experiences with TB, the ethnography illuminates challenges posed by overcrowded living conditions, economic disparities, and limited healthcare accessibility on Daru Island. The analysis covers geopolitical dynamics of TB in borderlands, emphasizing disruptions to belonging and challenges in healthcare accessibility. The discussion weaves personal narratives into broader social, economic, and political contexts, challenging prevailing disease management models. Advocating comprehensive strategies incorporating social determinants, the perspective calls for a paradigm shift addressing economic disparities, intergovernmental policies, and the fluidity of human-microbe relations across more-than-human borders. The chapter turns to the topic of funding shortfalls and latent TB infections placing populations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, at risk of disease outbreak in the context of climate change, population growth, and resource mismanagement. This ethnography thus serves not only as a lens into the complexities of TB dynamics but also as a catalyst for broader conversations on global health ethics and the need for transformative action.
