The Ethics of Tuberculosis Care and Control

The Ethics of Tuberculosis Care and Control

Introduction

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by mycobacterium. As a rule, tuberculosis affects the lungs, but in rare cases can affect other parts of the body, such as lymph nodes, skeletal system, and even the brain. Tuberculosis is spread from person to person by droplet infection through coughing, sneezing, talking and other things close contact with TB patients. It is important to know that although people may become infected with TB from another person, the infection usually occurs during prolonged contact with a person whose disease is in an active form (Amdekar, 2009).

Theoretically, they would have to spend eight hours a day for six months or live with someone who is sick with TB, 24 hours a day for about two months to get and if a person with tuberculosis was the appropriate treatment for at least two weeks, the infection is unlikely. Tuberculosis is not spread through contact with objects used by the patient. However, there are categories of people who are most likely to be infected with tuberculosis which are:

Children

Older people

Patients with diabetes mellitus

People who take steroids

Those who are undergoing treatment medications that weaken the immune system

Media immunodeficiency virus

People living in adverse conditions (concentration of people in the apartment, the lack of hygiene in the home)

Those who suffer from alcohol or drug dependence

Those general health which is weakened

This is the reason why all those people that have these categories of disease and are concerned that some of the relatives of people suffering from tuberculosis, they must consult a doctor without wasting much time (Amdekar, 2009).

Analysis Using Ethical Principals

The recent increase in the incidence of tuberculosis and the emergence of multidrug-resistant nosocomial epidemics prompted by many doctors and nurses (age), either in US or abroad, is the issue of optimal actions to prevent transmission of the disease in healthcare institutions. Patients with exclusively extra pulmonary forms of tuberculosis are (almost) never contagious. Transmission by contact with secretions containing tubercle bacilli, and a fortiori, by interposed objects or dishes is exceptional. The main preventive measures therefore relate the airborne transmission (Lienhardt, 2011 ).

There are others who seek to avoid increasing frequency of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis which has been reported in some countries and an increased prevalence resulting most often from an inadequate therapeutic or poorly followed. Tuberculosis is a disease that is preventable, even in those who have been exposed to an infected person. Skin testing (PPD) for TB is used in high-risk populations or in people who may have been exposed to this disease, as health workers. A positive skin test indicates TB exposure and LTBI.

Patients under such situations should go through preventive therapy with the help of their doctor. People who have been exposed to TB should be skin tested immediately and have a test at a later date, if the first test is negative. Early treatment is extremely important in controlling the spread of TB from those with active TB disease to those who ...