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World Tuberculosis Day: what you should know about this disease

2021-03-24T10:50:01.391Z


March 24 marks World Tuberculosis Day. Here we tell you what you should know about this disease. 


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(CNN) -

March 24 marks World Tuberculosis Day.

Here we tell you what you should know about this disease.

What is it?

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually affects the lungs.

Although it can also infect other parts of the body such as the kidneys, spine and brain.

TB spreads through the air when a person with an active TB infection coughs, sneezes, talks, or sings.

Germs can stay in the air for hours.

TB germs are not spread by sharing food, shaking hands, and touching toilet seats.

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In 2018, around 10 million people worldwide became ill with tuberculosis and 1.5 million died (including some 250,000 with HIV).

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death for people infected with HIV worldwide.

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What types of tuberculosis are there?

There are two types of tuberculosis: latent, or non-infectious, tuberculosis infection and infectious tuberculosis disease.

Latent tuberculosis infection

Approximately 2 billion people, a third of the world's population, are infected with latent tuberculosis.

  • A person infected with latent TB shows no signs of symptoms and may not feel sick.

  • A skin or blood test will indicate if a person has been infected with the bacteria.

  • It is not possible to spread TB bacteria from the infected person to other people.

  • People with a latent TB infection may never develop the disease, as the bacteria remain inactive.

    In other cases, especially in people with a weak immune system, the bacteria can become active and cause tuberculosis disease.

  • Treatment is required to ensure that the infected person does not develop active TB disease, but in some cases preventive treatment may not be an option.

  • Without treatment, about 5-10% of people infected with latent TB will develop the disease.

Tuberculosis disease

  • It is possible to pass the TB bacteria from the infected person to others.

  • A skin or blood test will indicate if a person has been infected with the bacteria.

  • Treatment consists of a combination of medications that are taken for six to nine months.

  • People with weak immune systems, such as those with HIV or diabetes, are more likely to get TB disease.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of tuberculosis in the lungs include coughing up blood and chest pain.

Other symptoms include weight loss, night sweats, fever, chills, and fatigue.

Tuberculosis caused up to a quarter of all deaths in Europe during the 19th century.

Famous people who died of tuberculosis include John Keats, Frédéric Chopin, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, Anton Chekhov, and Franz Kafka.

Tuberculosis in the United States

In 2019, a total of 8,920 new TB cases were reported in the United States, the lowest case count on record in the United States.

Still, the CDC cautions that a recent model predicted that the goal of TB elimination in the United States will not be achieved during the 21st century without increased investment in detecting and treating latent TB infection.

Up to 13 million people in the United States are living with latent tuberculosis.

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Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) occurs when the bacteria are resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, two first-line antibiotics used to treat tuberculosis.

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a form of MDR-TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, in addition to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs.

WHO publishes guide to protect patients with tuberculosis 0:32

Chronology

1546

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The Italian scientist Girolamo Fracastoro hypothesizes that tuberculosis is contagious.

1679

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Dutch scientist Francis Sylvius details the impact of tuberculosis on patients.

1865

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French military physician Jean-Antoine Villemin demonstrates that the disease can be transmitted from person to animal or from animal to animal.

1882

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The German physician Robert Koch identifies the bacterial strain as Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

1921 -

After years of animal testing, French bacteriologists Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin successfully applied a vaccine called Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) to a baby whose mother died of tuberculosis.

1930 -

In Germany, more than 70 babies who received the BCG vaccine die of tuberculosis.

Later it is concluded that the vaccine was contaminated in the laboratory.

1944 -

Microbiologist Selman A. Waksman and his associates at Rutgers University report the discovery of a new antibiotic called streptomycin.

1944 -

Doctors H. Corwin Hinshaw, Karl H. Pfuetze, and William H. Feldman successfully use streptomycin to treat a patient with tuberculosis.

1952 -

A scientific journal publishes studies announcing the success of a revolutionary treatment called isoniazid.

1985-1992 -

Tuberculosis resurfaces.

Scientists attribute this to several factors, including the spread of HIV.

1994 -

The World Health Organization declares tuberculosis a global emergency.

1995 -

WHO launches Directly Observed Therapy (DOTS) Short Course.

It is a treatment plan that contains five components, including standardized records and reports.

2008 -

WHO reports the highest rates of MDR-TB worldwide.

2010 -

WHO endorses new test that diagnoses TB in hours instead of months.

2018 -

A promising new vaccine called M72 / AS01E has been shown to be effective in many people who are already infected with tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-24

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