Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a highly contagious lung disease that is rampant in many places in the world. Over 2 million people die of it every year. It is predicted that, between years 2000 and 2020, almost 1 billion people will get the disease; 35 million of them will die. In every 8 seconds, someone with tuberculosis dies. By the time you have finished reading this essay, about 20 people would have died from tuberculosis. The disease is caused by a type of bacteria, known as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It has two main stages, the first one being inactive, and the second, more serious one, being active. Tuberculosis is considered to be a global emergency by the World Health Organization since 1993. Even to today, TB is still a rampant disease, especially in areas such as Africa and South Asia. (Padilla)

Tuberculosis can be transmitted in various ways. The most common way of getting TB is through contact with someone who has the disease. According to Encarta, "When a person sick with TB coughs, sneezes, or speaks, small particles that carry two to three bacteria surrounded by a layer of moisture are released in the air. When another person inhales these particles, the bacteria may lodge in that person's lungs and multiply." One can also be infected by the disease through sharing needles, having sex, or any other forms of exchanging blood. (Petrie)

The reason that TB is so deadly is because the first stage of the disease has no symptoms. During the first couple of weeks after a person obtains the disease, a small infection grows inside of the lungs, but there are usually little or no symptoms. The disease starts getting active when it notices that the immune system has been weakened. That is why many people that have AIDS have tuberculosis, since HIV readily weakens the immune system. Usually, it isn't until after many months, or even years, until it strikes, and symptoms show. (Petrie) During the second phase of the disease, where the bacteria are active, symptoms such as malaise, weight loss, and night sweats may occur. When the disease becomes even worse, it goes into what is called the pulmonary form of the disease. By then, symptoms such as a bad cough, chest pain, breathlessness, and pneumonia may occur. (Padilla)

When a patient is sick with TB, the bacterial will be lodged inside his lungs for a long time. If his immune system gets weak, the bacteria will start multiplying, which marks the start of the active phase. In the active phase, tubercles, or masses of the bacteria and immune cells, would form on the lung, often leaving scars on the lung. This would often make the lungs look very much like a smoker's. (Encarta)

The best way to diagnosis tuberculosis is to catch it early. There are skin tests for TB which indicates whether a patient has TB or not. It is applied by injecting a needle with tuberculin into the patient's skin. If the patient has any form of the TB bacteria, not necessarily the disease, a reaction would occur on the skin. However, the tests are not 100% accurate, and having a positive test does not mean the patient has active TB. Usually, if a patient has a positive test, he is given a chest