Among communicable diseases, tuberculosis is known as one of the oldest and most thoroughly studied infectious conditions. Highly contagious, the illness is easily transmitted during contact with a contaminated individual. Despite its increased danger for patients with chronic immune diseases, such as HIV, tuberculosis has been successfully cured in the majority of cases over the past few decades (World Health Organization, 2018). This paper briefly discusses the agent and environmental characteristics of the disease, its signs, symptoms, and treatment, providing a basis for the public health nurse’s clinical practice.
Overview of the Disease
Characteristics
Agent. The pathological agent of tuberculosis is known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As explained by Chai, Zhang, and Liu (2018), during the latency phase of the infection, the pathogen damages the patient’s immune system and resides in granulomas. While causing the development of the disease, Mycobacterium tuberculosis also leads to several autoimmune diseases and pulmonary complications.
Environmental. The likelihood of developing tuberculosis is higher for people with lower socioeconomic status. According to Kanchan, Surya, and Ajay (2015), most tuberculosis patients are susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse, stress, malnutrition, have HIV, or diabetes. Such factors increase the risk of human contact with an infected individual.
Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment
Though easily communicable, tuberculosis is relatively difficult to diagnose at the early stages of the disease for the lack of differentiable signs. As mentioned by WHO (2018), the most prominent symptom of the illness is a persistent cough with sputum and blood. Some patients also report fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, and pain in the chest. While earlier tuberculosis was considered a non-curable condition, modern cases of active, drug-susceptible incidents of the disease are proven to be cured with the help of antimicrobial drugs within half a year (WHO, 2018). Still, improper medicine prescription and delay of the diagnosis may have adverse effects on the course of the treatment.
Incidents of the Disease
Tuberculosis remains one of the top ten death causes worldwide. As noted by WHO (2018), in 2017, approximately 1.3 million patients died from the illness, with 10 million people developing the condition yearly. Incidents of the epidemics vary, depending on the socioeconomic determinants of the country. For instance, in the high-income nations, there were less than 10 cases per 100 000 population. This ratio grew as high as 500 in the African and South American countries with a significantly lower quality of life (WHO, 2018). Georgia Department of Public Health (2017) also reported several cases of tuberculosis in the state. In Forsyth County, in particular, the tendency toward the spread of the disease shows that every consecutive year, there are fewer cases of tuberculosis in the area. The public health department recorded seven incidents of the illness in 2015, whereas, in 2016, the number lowered to five registered patients (GDPH, 2017).
Implications for Public Health Nurses’ Clinical Practice
For a community health nurse, it is of vital importance to educate the public on the signs, symptoms, and possible treatment of tuberculosis. Particular attention should be paid to the testing of socially disadvantageous residents. Therefore, practitioners should advocate for social initiatives that allow screening people with an increased risk of developing tuberculosis, on the legislative level. Apart from the aforementioned factors, public health nurses should inform individuals about the available methods for diagnosis and prevention. Forms of educating the public can include free training, support teams, presentations, and community projects.
Conclusion
Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a series of socioeconomic factors, tuberculosis is a highly contagious disease, usually diagnosed after the persistent cough with sputum and blood, weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats. Though in most cases, the condition is successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy, the number of people dying from the illness remains relatively high. To minimize the instances of tuberculosis, public health nurses should educate the public through training, social projects, and governmental initiatives.
References
Chai, Q., Zhang, Y., & Liu, C. H. (2018). Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An adaptable pathogen associated with multiple human diseases. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 8(158), 1-15. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2018.00158
Georgia Department of Public Health. (2017). 2016 Georgia tuberculosis report. Web.
Kanchan, S., Surya, K., Ajay, V. (2015). Role of environmental factors in transmission of tuberculosis. Dynamics of Human Health, 2(4). Web.
World Health Organization. (2018). Global tuberculosis reports. Web.
World Health Organization. (2018). Tuberculosis. Web.