5 things you need to know about tuberculosis
By, The Miami Herald, October 1, 2007
How you get it
When an Atlanta man honeymooned in Europe in May while infected with tuberculosis, it set off an international health scare. This disease is spread when people with TB in their lungs or throat cough, laugh, sneeze, sing or even talk, but it's not easy to become infected. Repeated contact is usually necessary in closed spaces over a long period. Transmission in an airplane, although rare, has been documented, according to the American Lung Association.
Symptoms
It's possible not to have any symptoms, but a person with TB may cough up blood or have a cough lasting three weeks or longer, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, night sweats or chest pain. If you think you have been exposed, get a TB skin test.
Who's at risk
People with HIV; people in close contact with TB-infected people; diabetics; people who work or live in nursing homes, prisons and other long-term-care facilities; healthcare workers; people who are malnourished; and alcoholics. Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day also increases the risk.
Latent vs. active
Many people infected with TB bacteria don't develop TB because their immune systems protect them; the bacteria become inactive but remain alive in the body and can become active later. This is called latent TB and it's not contagious. Someone with active TB needs to see a doctor right away and can spread the disease to others.
It's on the rise
More than one-third of the world's population has TB bacteria and new infections are occurring at the rate of one per second, says the World Health Organization. Drug-resistant strains have emerged and are spreading, but new vaccines are in development.
Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/health/story/253162.html
How you get it
When an Atlanta man honeymooned in Europe in May while infected with tuberculosis, it set off an international health scare. This disease is spread when people with TB in their lungs or throat cough, laugh, sneeze, sing or even talk, but it's not easy to become infected. Repeated contact is usually necessary in closed spaces over a long period. Transmission in an airplane, although rare, has been documented, according to the American Lung Association.
Symptoms
It's possible not to have any symptoms, but a person with TB may cough up blood or have a cough lasting three weeks or longer, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, night sweats or chest pain. If you think you have been exposed, get a TB skin test.
Who's at risk
People with HIV; people in close contact with TB-infected people; diabetics; people who work or live in nursing homes, prisons and other long-term-care facilities; healthcare workers; people who are malnourished; and alcoholics. Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day also increases the risk.
Latent vs. active
Many people infected with TB bacteria don't develop TB because their immune systems protect them; the bacteria become inactive but remain alive in the body and can become active later. This is called latent TB and it's not contagious. Someone with active TB needs to see a doctor right away and can spread the disease to others.
It's on the rise
More than one-third of the world's population has TB bacteria and new infections are occurring at the rate of one per second, says the World Health Organization. Drug-resistant strains have emerged and are spreading, but new vaccines are in development.
Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/health/story/253162.html
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