Remembering World TB Day

March 24th is the World TB Day. TB, tuberculosis, remains the world’s leading infectious killer, being responsible for the deaths of nearly 1.7 million people each year and representing the ninth leading cause of death globally.

WORLD TB Day is an occasion to mobilise political and social commitment for further progress towards eliminating TB as a public health burden.Here is some information on Tuberculosis which is going to be useful in our fight against the disease. Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious chronic infectious disease that primarily affects your lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from person to person through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes. Of late, the number of TB cases has been on the increase due to HIV which weakens the body's defences against TB. As a result, people with HIV are many times more likely to get TB and to progress from latent to active disease than are people who aren't HIV—positive.

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air. This can happen when someone with the untreated, active form of tuberculosis coughs, speaks, sneezes, spits, laughs or even sings. Although tuberculosis is contagious, it's not especially easy to catch. You're much more likely to get tuberculosis from someone you live with or work with than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who've had appropriate drug treatment for at least two weeks are no longer contagious. Although your body may harbour the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, your immune system usually can prevent you from becoming sick. For this reason, doctors make a distinction between:

◆ Latent TB. In this condition, you have a TB infection, but the bacteria remain in your body in an inactive state and cause no symptoms. Latent TB isn't contagious.

◆ Active TB. This condition makes you sick and can spread to others. It can occur in the first few weeks after infection with the TB bacteria, or it might occur years later. Most people infected with TB germs never develop active TB. Symptoms of TB include a chronic cough (more than 3 weeks), coughing up blood, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, fever, night sweats, chills, loss of appetite and fatigue. But tuber- culosis can also affect other parts of your body, including your kidneys, spine or brain. When TB occurs outside your lungs, symptoms vary according to the organs involved. For example, tuberculosis of the spine may give you back pain, and tuberculosis in your kidneys might cause blood in your urine.

Another reason tuberculosis remains a major killer is the increase in drug-resistant strains of the bacterium. Ever since the first antibiotics were used to fight tuberculosis 60 years ago, the germ has developed the ability to survive attack, and that ability gets passed on to its descendants. Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis emerge when an antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria it targets. The surviving bacteria become resistant to that particular drug and frequently other antibiotics as well. Without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. When outside the lungs, TB can affect other organs as follows: ◆ Bones. Spinal pain and joint

destruction may result from TB that infects your bones. In many cases, the ribs are affected.

◆ Brain. Tuberculosis in your brain can cause meningitis, a sometimes fatal swelling of the membranes that cover your brain and spinal cord.

◆ Liver or kidneys. Your liver and kidneys help filter waste and impurities from your bloodstream. These functions become impaired if the liver or kidneys are affected by tuberculosis.

◆ Heart. Tuberculosis can infect the tissues that surround your heart, causing inflammation and fluid collections that may interfere with your heart's ability to pump effectively. This condition can be fatal. TB is treated with a 6 month course of antibiotics which should be taken consistently every day. Side effects of TB drugs can be serious when they occur. All tuberculosis medications can be highly toxic to your liver. If you have active TB, keep the germs to yourself. It generally takes a few weeks of treat- ment with TB medications before you're not contagious anymore. Follow these tips to help keep your friends and family from getting sick:

◆ Stay home. Don't go to work or school or sleep in a room with other people during the first few weeks of treatment for active tuberculosis.

◆ Ventilate the room. Tuberculosis germs spread more easily in small closed spaces where air doesn't move. If it's not too cold outdoors, open the windows and use a fan to blow indoor air outside.

◆ Cover your mouth. Use a tissue to cover your mouth anytime you laugh, sneeze or cough. Put the dirty tissue in a bag, seal it and throw it away.

◆ Wear a mask. Wearing a surgical mask when you're around other people during the first three weeks of treatment may help lessen the risk of transmission.

If you think you have TB please visit your doctor.