Introduction
Health is an area of concern in many nations. The health status of a nation is one of the key indicators of the level of growth or the economic status of a given nation since a healthy nation automatically results to a wealthy nation. According to World Health Organization, health related matters should be taken seriously for a country that is aspiring to grow. The population is increasing globally compared to the past years. This population is exposed to many health risks that need to be addressed worldwide.
Tuberculosis as a global issue has drawn a lot of attention from many nations. It is a mycobacterial disease. These disease-causing mycobacteria exist in many strains. Tuberculosis is an airborne disease, which makes its control somehow complex.
According to Seth and Kabra (2006), Tuberculosis has led to many deaths in the world. Worldwide, it is thought that a third of the population is infected with Tuberculosis. The distribution of the disease infection varies from one country to another. In the developed nations like Russia, cases of tuberculosis reported are fewer than is the case in the developing countries. Researches show that the most affected are the developing countries.
Immunity in developing countries has highly been compromised and with the prevalence of HIV virus, opportunistic diseases like Tuberculosis are very common. The health of a person is the complete wellbeing of both body and mind, in the absence of any form of a disease. This research paper seeks to explore the status of Tuberculosis in India in relation to other countries dealing with the same health issue and the mitigation measures that can be put in place to reduce or control the disease transmission.
Importance and major concerns of the topic
According to Seth and Kabra (2006), understanding the issue of tuberculosis in India is very important. The 2011 worlds Health Organization reports show that India has the highest tuberculosis cases worldwide. Approximately, around three million of the whole India population is believed to be infected with the mycobacteria. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease. When infected, the bacterium affects many delicate and important parts of the body.
In most cases, the bacterium affects the lungs where it multiplies spreading to other parts of the body like the heart and lymph nodes causing chest pains and other illness to the victim. The victim also experience bloody coughs and if no action is taken, death may result. This condition has led to the death of many Indians. World Health Organization show that out of the 8.7 million TB cases reported worldwide in the year 2011, India alone had 2.2 million cases.
Tuberculosis is one of the major health problem affecting the public in India. The research shows that the infection of this particular disease is common among the teens. It is worth noting that in any nation, the youth are the most active group, as they are strong and have a room to achieve more for the betterment of their lives, community and the nation at large. The high tuberculosis prevalence in India has greatly declined the social, political, and economic growth of this nation. The death of the young generation means no development as this kills people who have highest ability and potential to contribute to the development of a nation.
Countries dealing with a similar issue
According to a report by World Health Organization (2007), TB death rate has been dropping from the 1990’s. In some countries like in Brazil and China, TB prevalence is declining at a very high rate, while in others the prevalence is dropping slowly. However, Tuberculosis remains a global problem as said earlier. Although India has the highest TB cases, other countries have the same problem. Tuberculosis seconds HIV as the killer of many people worldwide. A good number of Tuberculosis cases have also been reported in Asia and the sub-Saharan Africa. Countries like Botswana, Haiti Guinea and among others have been reported to have considerably high cases of TB. Most of the countries affected by Tuberculosis fall in the third world countries.
Mitigation measures
Since TB is a global problem, there is a need to form partnerships among countries to help in fighting against this disease. Mitigation of tuberculosis in India calls for a participatory approach. Thanks to the Indian government for the formation of ‘Tuberculosis Association of India’. Efforts towards Mitigating tuberculosis epidemic in this nation can be highly achieved by strengthening this voluntary association. The government of India should create awareness to make the public understand the issue of tuberculosis. They need to know the existence of different strains of the mycobacteria, causes, symptoms, and ways to control or avoid transmission.
The Revised National TB control Programme (RNTCP) formed by the Indian government in 1997 has been recommended by the world health organization. The battle against TB can be enhanced by encouraging full participation of the public in this programme to make it more effective in fighting TB. TB is believed to have a link with poverty and HIV and Aids. Other risk factors include cigarette smoking and alcoholism. All these should be fought for the efforts to eradicate TB in India to be fruitful.
References
Seth, V., & Kabra, S. K. (2006). Essentials of tuberculosis in children. New Delhi: Jaypee Bros. Medical Publishers.
World Health Organization. (2007). Global tuberculosis control: Surveillance, planning, financing. Geneva: World Health Organization.