IN the Philippines tuberculosis is listed as the sixth leading cause of death, as 73 Filipinos die every day because of the dire infection. Therefore, as figures continue to stagger and press the alarms the resonating call to have supreme familiarity and awareness about the depressing disease ensues.
Thus, tuberculosis or colloquially called as TB, is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterium can be directly transmitted from one person to another through tiny droplets spread by means of coughing, sneezing, and even the unintentional dispersion of saliva though laughing, singing or spitting.
Out of 196 nations, the Philippines ranked ninth in the top 22 high-burden tuberculosis countries in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These 22 countries, which include the Philippines, contribute to the global TB burden.
An estimated 200,000 to 600,000 Filipinos are with active TB. Since tuberculosis is outright branded as the disease of poverty or high TB burden as the reflection of the economic status, and hence, the Philippines as a poor country, it is not surprising that these numbers persistently manifest to astound.
In line with these data, here are 12 key points and general fast facts about the disease that everybody should know, according to the health web site, medicalnewstoday.com.
- Tuberculosis is widely scattering and can unfortunately lead to clusters of fatalities. With an estimated 8.6 million cases of the disease globally, 1.3 million people were assumed to have died in 2012.
- Moreover, the WHO boldly projects enormous 9 million individuals who get infected and sick with TB, including 3 million of these statistics are “missed” by health systems.
- In the records of common and universal causes of death among women aged 15 to 44, tuberculosis was one of the top 3 reasons.
- As clearly cited above, the disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which frequently affects the lungs, but it can as well infect other core organs, such as the kidneys, heart, spine or the brain. TB of the spine causes severe back pain, while TB of the kidney can cause bloody urine.
- Tuberculosis can be active or latent. In latent TB condition, the TB bacteria have already infected the patient’s body, yet, they are still in their inactive state. In addition, there are no signs and symptoms, and it is not contagious.
- TB symptoms, such as cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss, may be mild for many months and TB-infected people can affect up to 10 to 15 other people through close contact over the course of the year. Severe cough with phlegm, sometimes with blood, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, chills, and loss of appetite may also appear.
- Likewise, tuberculosis is an air-borne pathogen, which means the bacterium that causes TB can openly spread through the air from one person to another person.
- Additionally, those who are at most risk of developing active TB and dying from the disease are people with uncompromised immune systems. Furthermore, people infected with HIV are 26 to 31 times more likely to develop TB.
- Tobacco use has been revealed to augment the risk of developing active TB, as more than 20 percent of cases worldwide can be attributed to smoking.
- TB can develop a resistance to antibiotics that it will be, perhaps, unsuccessful to kill and eradicate it entirely. On the other hand, the most common diagnostic test for TB is skin test.
- The preponderance of TB cases can be treated or cured with antibiotic treatment with isoniazid and rifamficin, the two most powerful, first-line (or standard) TB drugs or medications.
- It is fundamental that any line and course of treatment prescribed is full and completed to eradicate the disease and trim down the risk of antibiotic resistance.