The Epidemiology of Tuberculosis

Infectious diseases are one of the most challenging adversities that the human race faces. Diseases that once wiped out large populations are now well understood, preventative measures can be taken, and effective treatment methods provided. However, as science has evolved so have the infectious diseases that are seen. An example of an infectious disease that has been studied and continues to be seen today is Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis has been a health hazard for many centuries and was once an epidemic. Medical advances and studies have been able to enlighten not only the etiology, but also the mode of transmission, ways to diagnose, and ways to treat and/or manage infection.

For many people in the U.S. tuberculosis represents a disease process that one rarely sees. For this reason the reality of tuberculosis outside of the U.S. can easily be lost. CDC statistics report that approximately one third of the world 's population is infected with tuberculosis.1 This can be a sobering statistic for an individual wholly removed from the idea that tuberculosis, abbreviated TB, remains a prominent disease process throughout much of the world. The objective will be to provide not just an informative description of the disease, it 's etiology, clinical manifestations, treatments, and prognosis, but also to provide a reminder that tuberculosis retains a significant presence in the world despite the early

Tuberculosis has infected human populations for millennia. Ancient Egyptian mummies have been shown to have TB, as well as ancient Greco-Roman societies. TB was largely controlled with the discovery of the tuberculosis mycobacterium and the advent of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, as well as effective drug treatments. This is not a new problem. However, antibiotic resistant strains and inconsistent treatments have caused a resurgence in TB cases across the globe. Today’s TB is one of the most infectious diseases globally. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, “Emerging drug-resistant strains of the disease are presenting a new

In order to effectively control TB, a clear understanding of its epidemiology must be developed. However, the epidemiology of TB varies radically across nations and regions.4 Observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, China and Southeast Asia and Micronesia, the world’s highest rates of TB (+100/100,000) exist. Indeed, of the 9 million who contracted TB in 2013, 56 % originated in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific while another 25 % originated in Africa.2 Factors which contribute to higher rates of TB include poverty, drug resistance and HIV.5 An astonishing preponderance (95 %) of new cases of TB occur in developing nations.4 Africa is home to 85 percent of new cases of TB; and 7.1 % of new cases of TB occur in individuals already infected with HIV.4

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease generally caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) [1]. The United States’ number and rate of new tuberculosis cases has kept declining since the TB reemergence in 1992, however, there is a slight increase in the number and the rate of new TB cases, 1.7% and 0.9%, respectively, in 2015 with a total of 9,563 new cases and a rate of 3.0 cases per 100,000 population compares to 2014 [2].

Furthermore, a discussion of tuberculosis needs to be presented before going on, so this paper will delve into what tuberculosis is and what is being done to help prevent this disease.

According to the WHO report of 2015, the TB mortality rates have fallen by 47% since 1990 with most of the decrement happening since 2000 when the millennium development goals were set. In effect, a total of 43 million lives has been saved since 2000. The report estimates that in 2015, 10.4 million were diagnosed with TB with 1.8 million people dying from the disease (Schwartzman, 2004).

Tuberculosis remains elusive, it remains a top infectious killer worldwide. This disease is a bacteria caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacteria commonly affects the lungs, it is spread through person to person. It is curable and preventable, but may be fatal if not treated. (The World Health Organisation) (2015a)

“Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. In 2012, an estimated 8.6 million people developed TB and 1.3 million died from the disease. The number of TB deaths is unacceptably large given that most are preventable,” (WHO). However, even though numbers of those infected are high, the rate of new TB cases is on the decline at roughly 2% per year. The slow decline rate is due to many things including people not being informed about the disease, and improper usage of medicines leading to drug resistant strains of TB.

Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a chronic infection that can be fatal to the infected individual which can result in death. TB is a bacterial infection in the lungs that can persist to other organs through the bloodstream. It is one of the leading causes of death from an infection worldwide. The mortality rate is much higher in developing countries with high incidence rate of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Tuberculosis is a very infectious disease due to it being airborne. If it is left untreated the disease can progress to other areas of the body. Areas such as kidneys, spine, and the brain can be infected. With proper treatment, TB is curable.

Infectious diseases remain among the leading diseases in the world. Illness and death from infectious diseases are particularly tragic because they might be preventable and treatable. Tuberculosis is one of the most serious infectious diseases. People almost forgot about this disease and think that does not exist around us. Tuberculosis is a very prevalent, contagious and deadly disease worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2014), “Today, tuberculosis remains one of the leading infectious disease killers around the world. Emerging drug-resistant strains are presenting a new challenge in the ever-changing battle to control and prevent

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Marieb, 2012). Tuberculosis is a contagious infection that begins in the lungs and spread to other organs in the body including the kidneys, brain and bones. Tuberculosis is spread by inhaling airborne droplets from an infected person. These airborne particles are spread when the infected person sneezes, coughs or laughs. Tuberculosis cannot be spread, by contact. Tuberculosis is caused by a rod shaped bacterium or bacillus called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These droplets are discharged into the air by a person with active tuberculosis (Britannica, 2012). The spreading progress is very effective. These droplets can remain in the air for several hours in addition it only needs ten bacilli to start an infection. When the infected air is breathed in, the bacilli enter the lungs through the bronchioles and into the alveoli. The bacilli then infect the alveoli

Tuberculosis, simply referred to as TB, is an infectious disease predominantly affecting the lungs.1 TB is manifested in parts of the body that are rich in both blood and oxygen. As such, the infection may also be present in the spine, brain and kidneys.2The specific bacterium responsible for causing TB is Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, also referred to as Tubercle Bacillus. Robert Koch demonstrated this discovery in his 1882 publication on TB.3 The transmission of TB occurs through the passage of microscopic droplets through the air as a result of an actively infected person spitting, sneezing, coughing, or even speaking.4

Tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial infection which can affect all the organs of the body but most commonly the lungs which is called pulmonary TB. It is a contagious disease which is spread primarily in the air in moisture droplets from an infected to an uninfected person. Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is also called TB bacillus. This bacterium is covered in a waxy capsule protecting it from the body’s immune system, heat and drying out which can allow it to remain alive for a long time.

TB is a worldwide health threaten issue that affecting one-third of the world population (DH, 2006). The WHO identified TB as a top infectious killing disease, which takes more than one million lives in 2014 globally (2016). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that TB usually first starts with affecting the lungs with symptoms