What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mostly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other parts of the body, like the brain, spine, abdomen, breast, testes etc. When TB affects other organs outside the lungs, it is referred to as extra-pulmonary TB.
How is TB spread?
TB is spread through the air, from person to person. When an individual with TB disease coughs, sneezes or spits, they release the TB germs into the air, and people nearby just need to inhale a few germs to get infected. But nopt everyone infected with TB come down with the disease. They have what we call latent TB infection. Which means they have TB infection, but are not yet ill and cannot transmit the disease. In fact, one-quarter of people in the world have latent TB
Over a period of one year, people with active TB can infect 5–15 other people through close contact. And without the right treatment, 45% of HIV-negative people with TB on average and nearly all HIV-positive people with TB will die.
What are the symptoms of TB?
When a person develops TB disease, the symptoms include cough, fever, night sweats, or weight loss.There may also be pain in the chest or hemoptysis (blood in the sputum). These symptoms may be mild for many months. Hence, the delays in seeking care, and the results is the continuous transmission of the bacteria to others.
Who are those at risk?
Although TB affects mostly adults in their productive years, all age groups are at risk. But the risk is higher in people whose immune systems have been compromised, such as people with HIV, diabetes, or people who smoke. People with HIV are 19 times more likely to develop active TB.
How is TB diagnosed?
TB is diagnosed using Xpert test or sputum smear microscopy test. While many countries still rely on a long-used sputum smear microscopy to diagnose TB, the Xpert MTB/Rif test has gained more popularity and acceptability, in that it is able to detect drug resistant TB.
Can TB be treated?
TB is a treatable and curable disease. Active, drug-susceptible TB disease is treated with a standard 6-month regimen, with the support of a health worker or household contact.
Key Facts about TB.
- A total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2018 (including 251 000 people with HIV). Worldwide, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS).
- In 2018, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis(TB) worldwide. 5.7 million men, 3.2 million women and 1.1 million children. There were cases in all countries and age groups. But TB is curable and preventable.
- In 2018, 1.1 million children fell ill with TB globally, and there were 205 000 child deaths due to TB (including among children with HIV). Child and adolescent TB is often overlooked by health providers and can be difficult to diagnose and treat.
- In 2018, the 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of new TB cases. Eight countries account for two thirds of the total, with India leading the count, followed by, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.
- Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. WHO estimates that there were 484 000 new cases with resistance to rifampicin – the most effective first-line drug, of which 78% had MDR-TB.
- Globally, TB incidence is falling at about 2% per year. This needs to accelerate to a 4–5% annual decline to reach the 2020 milestones of the End TB Strategy.
- An estimated 58 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2018.
- Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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