Tuberculosis : A Serious Infectious Disease

Tuberculosis is most of the feared and widespread that has harassed humans. Tuberculosis is a disease that affects the lungs and other organs too. This is a very serious disease that can cause death and the worse part is that this disease travels to one person to another. In the book, Know about Tuberculosis, a boy who has tuberculosis sneezed on another boy named Kevin who did not automatically catch tuberculosis, but the terms have taken root. According to the book, Know about Tuberculosis, “In the United States, about ten to fifteen million people are infected with this disease, but only ten percent of people are infected; however doctors assume that the battle against tuberculosis is increasing around the world.” Tuberculosis is among the major concerns for the World Health Organization due to its contagious nature.

Tuberculosis is a disease of an infectious nature caused by a bacterium known as mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease spreads through the air. People with the disease can spread it to susceptible people through coughing, sneezing, talking or spitting. It mainly affects the lungs and other parts such as the lymph nodes and kidneys can also be affected. The symptoms for TB are fatigue, coughing, night sweats, weight loss and fever. One third of the population of the world is affected with mycobacterium tuberculosis. The rate of infection is estimated to be one person per second. About 14 million people in the world are infected with active tuberculosis. Drug resistant TB has been recorded to be a serious public health hazard in many countries. Resistant strains have developed making it difficult to treat the disease. TB has caused millions of death mainly in people living with HIV/AIDS ADDIN EN.CITE Ginsberg19981447(Ginsberg, 1998)1447144717Ginsberg, Ann M.The Tuberculosis Epidemic: Scientific Challenges and OpportunitiesPublic Health Reports (1974-)Public Health Reports (1974-)128-13611321998Association of Schools of Public Health00333549http://www.jstor.org/stable/4598234( HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_3" o "Ginsberg, 1998 #1447" Ginsberg, 1998). The World Health Organization came up with the DOTS (Directly Observed, Therapy, Short course) strategy. The approach involves diagnosing cases and treating patients with drugs for about 6-8

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria “Mycobacterium Tuberculosis” and is mainly causes infection of the lungs (WHO, 2016). Its mode of transmission is airborne, so it can be passed on by inhalation of airborne droplets which carrying the bacteria, when an infected patient coughs, sneezes, or spits the TB germs into the air (WHO, 1026). Among the symptoms of active TB are: cough with sputum and blood, chest pains, weakness, fever and night sweats (WHO, 2016). Most at risk to get the TB infection are people with weakened immune system such as people who are suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, severe kidney disease, silicosis and especially HIV infection (CDC, 2016). Children and Tobacco users are also at greater risk to fall ill with TB.

Tuberculosis (TB) is brought on by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The microorganisms more often than not assault the lungs, however TB microbes can assault any part of the body, for example, the kidney, spine, and mind. Not everybody infected with TB microbes gets to be sick. Therefore, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB infection. If not treated legitimately, TB can be deadly (CDC, 2016). TB microbes are spread through the air starting with one individual then onto the next. The TB microorganisms are put into the air when someone with TB illness of the lungs or throat coughs, talks, or sings. Individuals adjacent may take in these microscopic organisms and also become ill (CDC, 2016). Individuals with TB are well on the way to spreading it to individuals they invest time with consistently. This incorporates relatives, companions, and coworkers or classmates.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that can be spread in the lungs, lymph nodes, and bloodstream and to any part of an organ in the body. They are two types of tuberculosis which, is active and

TB is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally that boils down to one small, single infection. TB can be classified into 2 stages; Latent TB and Active TB. In Latent TB, the bacteria remain in the body in an inactive or dormant state. A person will not have any symptoms because their immune mechanism has stopped the bacteria from growing. Latent TB can remain in a dormant state for year (Zager et al, 2009). However this disease can easily change to Active TB. This change mainly occurs due to the rapid increase of Mycobacterium TB within an individual when a person becomes ill or their immune system is compromise. Ninety percent of the time, those who are infected with

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which normally affects the lungs, but it can also affect any part of the body, including the bones and the nervous system. The disease is spread easily through prolonged exposure to someone who has the illness, from their coughs and sneezes. For a healthy individual the body’s immune system kills the bacteria and prevents it from spreading in the body, which is known as ‘latent TB’. However, if the immune system fails to fight the bacteria, it can easily spread in the body. Symptoms will develop within a few weeks or months depending on the individual. This is known as an ‘active TB’. The symptoms are, constant coughing that brings up phlegm that may also contain blood, which lasts more than three weeks, combined with weight loss, tiredness and fatigue, loss of appetite and also fever. Without treatment, TB can cause major health problems and if its left untreated can even cause death (NHS 2016).

(cdc.gov) Individuals with latent TB will have no symptoms of active disease and are not contagious. However, these same individuals can develop tuberculosis if they become immunocompromised, live in poverty, have poor nutrition or have other comorbidities. (Maurer & Smith, 2013)

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most commonly affects the lungs. The etiologic agent can be expelled from one infected person via a sneeze or a cough, and enter the air and then the body of another person, leading to another infected person (“Tuberculosis, 2012). According to “What is TB?” (n.d.), someone who has diagnosed tuberculosis but is not receiving any form of treatment can pass the disease to up to 15 people in on year. Treatment of TB is necessary, so if symptoms are ignored, an infected person could die. Prevalence of this disease is not as common in the United States as it is in other countries. In 2014, there were approximately 9,421 reported cases; trends show that TB prevalence continues to decreases each year. Of

Symptoms: Tuberculosis has many different symptoms that can take place during its active stages. In the prior paragraph I already stated that during its inactive stage the human is clear of any symptoms or effects that the disease may cause but the active stage is where most symptoms occur. Many symptoms like coughing up blood, fevers, loss of appetite, weight loss, chest pains, night sweat, chills and fatigue are associated with this disease. During Tuberculosis active stages you can develop anyone of those symptoms which will constantly take effect is not

When a person has latent TB this indicates that they have acquired the TB germ but do not

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial infection that affects millions of people globally. It is a contagious disease that is spread through the air, and it usually affects the lungs. It is transmitted from person to person through droplets from the respiratory tract of those who are already infected with the disease. Some who are infected with the bacteria that causes TB often exhibit no symptoms, because their immune systems stop the bacteria from growing and multiplying. Those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to developing the full blown disease which can cause symptoms that include coughing, spitting blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, and fever. Tuberculosis can be treated with a six to nine month course of a combination of antibiotics. If left untreated, TB will spread and can be fatal.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the bacteria tubercle bacilli (NSW Health 2014). It is one of mankind’s oldest infections and has plagued humans throughout recorded and archaeological history (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2014). Tuberculosis comes in an infectious and disease form. The infectious form is the result of contraction of TB bacteria that remains dormant and is neither symptomatic nor contagious. The disease form of TB is caused by active TB bacteria and results in the contagious and fatal tuberculosis disease.

Early symptoms of active TB can include weight loss, fever, night sweats, and loss of appetite. Symptoms may be vague, however, and go unnoticed by the affected person. For some, the disease either goes into remission (halts) or becomes chronic and more debilitating with cough, chest pain, and bloody sputum (saliva).

When one inhales air coughed out by TB patients, the infection is referred to as primary tuberculosis. In most instances, most people get infected with primary tuberculosis, but since its severity is minimal, there are higher chances of recovery (CDC 17). The infection rate of primary tuberculosis depends on the strength of an individual’s immune system.