Tuberculosis Paper

Janise Marvin Collin Callahan Alisha McDonal Tuberculosis Paper Health Period 3 May 10, 2009 Tuberculosis: A Succinct Synopsis Air. It is everywhere. You breathe the oxygen found in the air. Guess what else you breathe in from the air? Deadly pathogens. Tuberculosis is the disease caused by one of such pathogens. About one-third of the world’s population is infected with the Tuberculosis bacillus. It is found in every region of the world, but is most prevalent in South-East Asia, with an estimated 4,809,000 cases in 2005, followed with Africa in a close second with 3,773,000 cases. An approximate 1.6 million people died worldwide from Tuberculosis in 2005 (World Health Organization, 2007). By the time you are finished reading this paper, you will know how to keep yourself from becoming one of these statistics. Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. There are two types of TB: TB infection and TB disease, or active TB. Most people who are infected with TB never get the active kind, because their immune system is able to keep the bacteria from becoming active. The infected individuals have no symptoms and cannot spread the disease, while if the TB is active, they experience symptoms and are contagious (Directors of Health Promotion and Education, undated). Common

symptoms of Tuberculosis include coughing up blood or sputum, chest pain, weakness or tiredness, weight loss, chills, fever, and night sweats. If the disease continues to multiply, it can incur lasting complications such as lung damage, lung weakening, damage to other vital organs and death. Anyone can get TB, seeing as it is transferred through the air. It only takes inhaling a couple of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis bacterium to become infected (eMedicineHealth, 2009). The good news is that it is very treatable and preventable. Once an individual acquires active TB, there are two different courses of treatment that could be prescribed. If the bacterium is the normal form of Tuberculosis, it is possible to purge the body of the pathogen by means of a combination of several different medications. The different medicines, which include isoniazid and rifampin, together help fight the bacteria. This medicine must be taken for 6-9 months because the bacteria die very slowly. If the TB form is drug resistant, known as MDR-TB, then it is possible to use stronger antibiotics with serious side effects or chemotherapy to rid the body of the bacteria. This drug resistant form emerges when patients do not stick to the strict regimen of their medications. Extensive Drug Resistant TB, XDRTB, is a less common form and is even more drug resistant than MDRTB. It is possible to prevent oneself from becoming infected with TB. You can take a daily dose of isoniazid to kill any possible germs that could help TB flourish inside your body if it was to enter

(eMedicineHealth, 2009). This can ensure that if you do come in contact with TB, you have a much lower chance of becoming infected. There is also a vaccine called, BCG Bacille Calmette Guerin, that can lower the chances of getting TB, but it interferes with the PPC skin test to see if TB is present, so it is not the best solution. In countries where TB is common, it is administered to infants to help prevent the spread, but is not recommended in the US. As long as the TB is caught and treated for the full duration of the prescription, almost everybody can be cured. Without treatment, three out of every five patients will die (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, 2009). The main way to prevent this is to cure everyone possible who has TB, so that it cannot spread to other people. Tuberculosis used to be a very common, very deadly disease. Today it is still pretty common, but with proper treatment, is no longer deadly. Even though it is spread by the air, it is possible to prevent infection by such simple procedures such as covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and by washing hands often. With programs put in place by organizations such as the World Health Organization, Tuberculosis is planned to be eradicated by the year 2015.

Bibliography Schiffman, George. "Tuberculosis." EMedicineHealth. 15 Jan. 2009. 8 May 2009 . "Tuberculosis." World Health Organization. Mar. 2007. 9 May 2009 . "Tuberculosis." Directors of Health Promotion and Education. 8 May 2009 . "Understanding Tuberculosis." National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. 9 Mar. 2009. National Institutes of Health. 9 May 2009 .