World Tuberculosis Day approaching
March 24 is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, and this day provides an opportunity to focus attention on the health consequences of TB, as well as an understanding that treating latent TB infection is an effective strategy to reduce the spread of TB. This year’s theme is entitled, “The Clock is Ticking,” to remind us that the fight against TB continues and to ensure continued access to prevention, treatment and care towards eliminating the disease.
TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and too many people still suffer from TB disease. Over 13 million people in the United States, including over 2 million Californians, are estimated to have latent TB infection where, without treatment, could progress to active, infectious TB disease.
TB continues to be a challenge in Solano County, where case rates have been increasing in Solano County since 2013. Solano County ranks as the 5th highest TB case rate in California, and one of 12 counties with higher TB rates than the state as a whole.
While there have been fewer TB referrals that came into Solano Public Health recently, from
7.2 per 100K in 2019 to 6.4 cases per 100K in 2020, this is likely due to shift in focus towards the COVID-19 pandemic and not a true decrease of TB disease.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by germ that is spread from person to person through the air. If When a person with infectious TB coughs or sneezes, droplets that have M. tuberculosis are expelled into the air.
If somebody else inhales the air containing these droplets, that person may become infected with TB. However, not everyone who gets infected with TB bacteria gets sick. This results into two TB-related health conditions — the latent TB infection and the active TB disease.
Individuals with latent TB infection are infected with M.tuberculosis, and are not showing any symptoms or sickness. People who have latent TB infection are not infectious and do not cause the spread of TB to others.
However, without treatment, about 5-10% of individuals with latent TB infection will develop TB disease at some point in their lives, especially in the first few years after infection or when their immune systems are weakened. These individuals usually get a positive skin test or blood test result for TB infection but the TB bacteria in their body are inactive. Individuals with latent TB infection still need to get treated to prevent TB disease.
Those with active TB disease, meanwhile, have an immune system that is being overwhelmed by the TB bacteria multiplying in the body. The symptoms of
TB disease include unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats, fever, fatigue and chills.
Symptoms of TB of the lungs include coughing for three weeks or longer, coughing up of blood and chest pain. Individuals with active TB disease are infectious and are able to spread the TB to others. If not treated, this can lead to serious conditions and can even lead to death.
The good news is that TB prevented or cured, and knowing the signs and symptoms of this disease is important in eliminating this disease.
On World TB Day, we call upon our healthcare partners, locally, regionally and globally continue to work together and educate the community about the importance of eliminating TB and provide the highest standards of care for those ill from the disease.