World TB Day 2021 – What is Tuberculosis?

World TB Day 2021 – March 24

What is Tuberculosis (TB)?

World TB Day 2021:

TB is an infectious disease that mostly affects the lungs but can also affect several other organs of the body like the brain, kidneys and bones.

TB is a curable disease

A person can be affected with Tuberculosis but may not be sick. At first, the disease may be symptom free, but once the lungs are infected it becomes highly contagious – and is easily spread to those around you.

How does TB spread?

The Tuberculosis germ is carried in the air. When a TB patient coughs, sneezes or spits, these germs are breathed in by a healthy person who may then develop the disease. Tuberculosis can also affect other parts of the body when the germ is carried from the lungs by the bloodstream.

World TB Day 2021 – What are the symptoms of TB?

• Persistent dry cough & coughing up blood.
• Tiredness, weakness of the whole body.
• Weight loss.
• Poor appetite.
• Sweating at night, even when it is cold.
• Pains in the chest.
• Shortness of breath.

Prevention is better than cure!

• Cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
• Do not spit – spitting spreads TB!
• TB cannot survive in a healthy body, eat nourishing healthy food.
• Do not abuse alcohol or drugs.
• Do not smoke.

Treatment

There are many injections and pills that are used to treat Tuberculosis, all of which are supplied free of charge to patients by health clinics. Once diagnosed, regular treatment is an absolute must and the patient must continue with the treatment for as long as the doctor, nurse or clinic advises.

The effective treatment of Tuberculosis is a long process, with new patients having to undergo at least six months of treatment. Patients contracting TB for the second time need to be treated for at least 8 months.

Medication is often unsuccessful because TB patients, when they start to feel better, stop taking their medicine before the course is finished, and they become reinfected.

World TB Day 2021 – Covid-19 and TB

While experience on COVID-19 infection in TB patients remains limited, it is anticipated that people ill with both TB and COVID-19 may have poorer treatment outcomes, especially if TB treatment is interrupted.

TB patients should take precautions as advised by health authorities to be protected from COVID-19 and continue their TB treatment as prescribed.

Some interesting links:

• Fascinating SA research helps push frontiers of TB science
• 10 things to know about TB in South Africa

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