Tuberculosis

Hi there! 

This week I will also be talking about Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacteria can infect any part of the body but usually affects the lungs. Not everyone who contracts this infection becomes sick. This is why there are two types: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease. 

According to the Medical News Today, Latent TB is when the bacteria can live inside you without making you sick. Most people who breathe in the bacteria become infected but their body is strong enough to fight it. This is still concerning because although they have no symptoms, they can still infect others. For most, this bacteria will remain inactive for the person’s life but for the immunocompromised, it can become active and turn into TB disease. People with this disease are sick and need treatment. Their symptoms include a 3+ week long bad cough, pain in chest, coughing blood, night sweats, weight loss and more. 

There has been recent news about TB. This past week was world TB day (March 24th). The World Health Organization notes that TB is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Also, one quarter of the world has the latent infection. There is a target to end this epidemic by 2030 by treating 40 million people between 2018-2022, giving at least 30 million people preventative treatment in this same time frame, providing 13 billion dollars towards diagnosis, treatment, and care, and finally using at least 2 billion dollars to fund research. These are big goals but are necessary to fight this infection. Because this bacteria is mutating, it is necessary to stop it soon before more individuals become infected.