TUBERCULOSIS

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Introduction

Tuberculosis is a common disease caused by the invasion of bacteria in certain organs of the body such as kidneys, brain and spinal regions. The most effected organ in TB is lungs. It damages the lungs to such an extent that the person might face difficulties in breathing. It is a chronic granulomatous disease. It is a serious illness that is curable with proper treatment only. There are mainly two classifications of Tuberculosis:

Latent TB, which can be explained in terms of latent phase in which the patient carries the TB bacterium but it is not afflicted by TB and cannot even pass the bacterium to other people.

Active TB, in which the person having the TB bacterium is affected by TB and can also pass the disease to other people.

Discussion

Transmission of Tuberculosis Disease

The most common route of transmission of Tuberculosis is via air-borne droplets. These droplet nuclei of all sizes are generated when a person is affected by Tuberculosis coughs or sneezes. The transmission of the infection is influenced by the environmental factors. Therefore, person affected by active Tuberculosis is the casual agent. These air borne droplets once inhaled by people can enter into lungs and proliferates in huge amounts, leading to infections and tissue damaging processes in lungs. After about 6-8 weeks of contraction, the immune system starts to respond and walls off the bacilli in granulomas. However, the bacterium can be reactivated within 2 years due to immune suppression or any other factors and may develop Tuberculosis (Bless, 1995, pp. 19-33).

Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis prevention and control measures should be taken to reduce rates of the disease. As Tuberculosis is usually spread via air borne droplets, immediate isolation of Tuberculosis patients is necessary so it cannot harm other people. Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) is effective in ensuring ...