Tuberculosis (TB) is a common communicable malady that is often caused by a single infectious agent. It is among the deadliest contagious diseases across the globe. In fact, TB falls in the second position after HIV/AIDS (MacPherson, Houben, Glynn, Corbett & Kranzer, 2014). In the year 2013 alone, about 9 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis while another 1.5 million died. The poor economies such as the low and middle-income nations record the highest deaths occasioned by TB. The figure stands at 95 percent. For women between the ages of 14 and 45, TB infection is the leading cause of death. Global data indicate that slightly over half a million children were infected by TB in 2013 while another 800, 000 passed away as a result of TB even though they were HIV negative.
Nevertheless, it is vital to mention that TB is a major opportunistic infection for patients living with HIV/AIDS (Hong, 2012). It leads to almost 25 percent of all casualties. Statistics also reveal that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has developed in more than 500,000 people.
Highlighting Control efforts
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main cause of TB. Controlling the spread of this bacteria is an on-going effort in several jurisdictions. It mainly targets the lungs of a patient. Even though the disease is life threatening, it has been controlled over the years through prevention and eventual treatment. Since it is an airborne disease, it can be easily passed on from one individual to another. The bacteria that causes TB is transferred into air through spiting and sneezing of infected patients. Individuals with pulmonary TB coughs are a major risk in the immediate environment. Most public buildings are well ventilated. Efforts to increase public awareness of the disease have also been very fruitful.
The bacteria takes some time in the body of the affected person before it can be transmitted. This is the situation with close to 30 percent of the world population. A 10 percent risk of developing the disease is eminent among individuals infected by TB. This implies that there are quite a number of factors that determine the infection and severity rates of TB. For example, the immune system of an individual may either delay or hasten the onset of TB infection. Individuals with weaker immune systems are prone to infections. Another category of highly vulnerable groups is those living with HIV/AIDS because their immune systems are already compromised. Highly predisposed individuals to TB are those who smoke, heavily drink alcohol, diabetic or suffering from malnutrition.
Environmental factors and influence of lifestyles
Infection rates are higher in poorly ventilated and overcrowded environments. The symptoms of TB may be subdued for a number of weeks or even several months after a person contracts the disease. The aspect of delayed symptoms is a major environmental risk factor related to the disease.
Poverty is a localized environmental factor that directly aggravates the onset and development of TB. Families that are malnourished are highly likely to be overwhelmed by the scourge. As already hinted out, night sweats, fever, weight loss, general body weakness, chest pains, blood-tinged sputum and cough are among the main signs and symptoms of TB. These signs emanate from the active pulmonary TB.
In regards to diagnosis, sputum smears are examined using microscopes in most countries across the world. Early diagnosis is a major intervention measure against TB. It assists patents to begin receiving treatment as early as possible before spreading to other healthy people. Among children, it has proven to be quite difficult to diagnose TB.
The disease can be treated through normal admission of prescription drugs. This usually takes a period of 6 months.
Role of public health department
Public health departments are keen in fast-tracking proper drug intake and prevention measures against TB (Lin, Dowdy, Dye, Murray & Cohen, 2012). Public health officers should educate the public to stay in well-ventilated places and avoid overcrowded spots as much as possible. The department should also work closely with the federal or central governments in enacting preventive measures. Adequate healthcare clinics should be set up so that patients can receive the desired services as prompt as possible. The department should also make TB a public health priority just like other dangerous and infectious diseases. Infection rates should be assessed on a regular basis. Public health officers who handle TB patients should also be awarded impressive incentives alongside being granted better working terms and conditions.
Existing gaps
Supervision and support for patients affected by TB has never been done adequately across the world. Once the anti-TB drugs have been administered, health workers who have already been trained along that line are encouraged to make follow-up exercises in order to make sure that patients take their drugs as prescribed. The 6-months period can be too long for some patients to sustain drug intake without interruption. Proper provision and intake of TB drugs can guarantee effective cure against the disease. In addition, accurate statistics lack in regards to the actual number of people infected by TB. Worse still, the latter has made it cumbersome for the healthcare sector to establish infection rate of TB among different segments of the population.
Recommendations
The action plans adopted by WHO should be in tandem with those embraced by most local public health departments. The recommendations include:
- Playing a leading part in the prevention of the infection.
- Effective formulation and execution of standard-based evidence using approved standards, strategies and policies.
- Designing and implementing viable research and development programs geared towards effective prevention and treatment.
- Provision of technical support to public health departments.
References
Hong, M., Zha, L., Fu, W., Zou, M., Li, W., & Xu, D. (2012). A modified visual loop- mediated isothermal amplification method for diagnosis and differentiation of main pathogens from mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 28(2), 523-31.
Lin, H., Dowdy, D., Dye, C., Murray, M., & Cohen, T. (2012). The impact of new tuberculosis diagnostics on transmission: Why context matters. World Health Organization.Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90(10), 739-747A.
MacPherson, P., Houben, R. M. G. J., Glynn, J. R., Corbett, E. L., & Kranzer, K. (2014). Pre-treatment loss to follow-up in tuberculosis patients in lowand lower-middle- income countries and high-burden countries: A systematic review and meta- analysis. World Health Organization. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 92(2), 126-38.