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Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that target the lungs, though it can also affect any other organ in the body. Transmission occurs from person to person through air droplets, particularly when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Clinical symptoms and signs of TB include cough, hemoptysis (coughing sputum stained with blood), fatigue, chest pains, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
The diagnosis of TB varies between physicians and healthcare experts. While physicians diagnose TB by culturing mycobacteria from various specimens, experts of health care diagnose TB through physical exam, chest X-rays, and a sputum test. It is estimated that more than 100,000 cases of tuberculosis are reported in Nigeria every year and regardless of the status of the infection – whether latent or active – a person with TB needs urgent treatment.
Early detection and treatment of tuberculosis can yield tangible results, especially with compliance to proper antibiotics. The factors that determine the appropriate type of antibiotic and the length of intake depends on a person’s age, status of the infection, the affected area, TB strain, and the individual’s overall health status.
While latent TB treatment may vary, an antibiotic could either be taken every day for 9 months or once a week for 12 weeks. Active TB may require taking a number of drugs between 6 to 9 months.
If you have a weak immune system, you stand the risk of contracting the disease, and the factors that generally weaken the immune system include:
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Low body weight
- Substance abuse disorders
- HIV and Cancer
Mostly, only people with the active version of the disease can transmit it, although the same people can stop transmitting it after they have been treated appropriately for 2 weeks and above. For easy prevention against TB, endeavor to wear a face mask in congested spaces, stay away from infected people and wash your hands properly from time to time. If you have been diagnosed with TB and want to avoid infecting others, get early treatment, stay away from other people and cover your mouth at all times.
This awareness comes at a critical time in which the world battles a deadly COVID-19 pandemic, a virus that has been shown to attack individuals of all ages and races, more so, on individuals with underlying medical ailments. Hence, it is important to adhere strictly to TB treatment routine and escalate any aggravated symptoms to the appropriate authorities. To be on the safest possible side, you can get a customized health insurance plan that would cater to your basic health needs.
