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Tuberculosis: The White Plague

Decent Essays

Have you ever heard of the white plague, or rather consumption? No? Perhaps you’re more familiar with the name, Tuberculosis. A disease that, in the past, was accountable for many persons deaths, specifically one in every seven persons reaching its peak in the 1800s. A difference between then and now, however is with it being a bacterial infection, it is now curable, the battling agent being found in 1943 by Selman Waksman. Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a deadly(mostly lung) disease that if not treated properly or discovered soon enough, can be fatal; and is specifically fatal for HIV patients. Tuberculosis(TB) is caused by a bacterium of the name, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that attacks the lungs most commonly. It is spread via air, …show more content…

So, it depends on what kind you have to distinguish the symptoms and treatment you need. With latent TB, there are no symptoms and you are not contagious; you are just carrying the bacteria in your body(it should still be treated so that it does not progress to active TB). If you have active TB, however, you will show many symptoms and also be contagious. For active pulmonary TB; the most common type, which affects the lungs and throat(other types of TB that affect other areas of the body is called extrapulmonary TB), the symptoms will appear gradually and slowly develop over the course of a few weeks or months. you will be coughing for three weeks or more and coughing up bloody mucus(sputum). Chest pain or having pain while breathing or coughing, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and/or weakness, fever, night sweats, chills, and loss of appetite are all common signs and symptoms of active TB as …show more content…

Medication is the usual treatment, with the four most commonly used being: Isoniazid(INH), Rifampin(RIF), Ethambutol(EMB), and Pyrazinamide(PZA).Treatment for drug-resistant TB is more complicated and expensive and should be managed by an expert in the disease. Fluoroquinolones and injectable medications are used for about 20 to 30 months to treat the drug-resistant TB. To prevent tuberculosis from spreading, you should take your medication, stay home, and wear a respiratory protective mask. For the prevention of tuberculosis itself, you would usually only have to be a concern if you are traveling, especially to countries that are still affected or heavily affected by TB, like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Brazil , would be to avoid brief or prolonged contact with an infected person and wear a protective mask. Moreover, if you have HIV or AIDS, it will be much easier to catch TB, and is the most common cause of death among HIV

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