Key facts about Tuberculosis
- TUBERCULOSIS IS ONE OF THE TOP 10 CAUSES OF DEATH WORLDWIDE.
- TB IS THE LEADING KILLER OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV.
- TB IS TRANSMITTED BY AIR. WHEN A PERSON WITH A CONTAGIOUS TB IN THE LUNGS OR LARYNX, COUGHS, SNEEZES, SINGS, LAUGHS OR TALKS, PARTICLES CONTAINING TB BACTERIA ENTER THE AIR. INFECTIOUS PARTICLES CAN REMAIN IN THE AIR FOR MANY HOURS. WHEN OTHER PEOPLE INHALE AIR WITH INFECTIOUS PARTICLES, THEY CAN BECOME INFECTED WITH TB.
- TB BACTERIA DO NOT SPREAD THROUGH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS (FOR EXAMPLE, CLOTHES, BOOKS, TOILET SEATS, ETC.), FOOD, DRINKS OR THROUGH A HANDSHAKE WITH A PERSON LIVING WITH TB.
- TUBERCULOSIS CAN BE «LATENT» AND «ACTIVE». A PERSON INFECTED WITH MYCOBACTERIUM TB WHICH IS IN ITS LATENT FORM HAS THE INFECTION IN HIS OR HER BODY BUT IT DOES NOT DEVELOP, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BECOME INFECTED FROM THIS PERSON.
- SYMPTOMS OF ACTIVE FORM OF TB INCLUDE: PROLONGED COUGH (2-3 WEEKS); WEIGHT LOSS; MILD FEVER (ABOUT 37 DEGREES); LOSS OF APPETITE; INCREASED FATIGUE; AND SWEATING AT NIGHT.
- THERE ARE FORMS OF DRUG-RESISTANT TB. THIS MEANS THAT DRUGS FOR TB TREATMENT NO LONGER FUNCTION TO KILL TB BACTERIA.
- RESISTANCE TO ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS DRUGS IS OFTEN CAUSED BY THEIR INCORRECT, INAPPROPRIATE USE, THE USE OF INEFFECTIVE DRUGS AND THE PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF THERAPY. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO BECOME INFECTED WITH A FORM OF TB WHICH IS ALREADY DRUG RESISTANT.
- DRUG RESISTANT TB IS SPREAD IN THE SAME WAY AS DRUG-SUSCEPTIBLE TB. THERE IS NO DEFINITE EVIDENCE THAT DRUG-RESISTANT TB IS MORE INFECTIOUS THAN DRUG-SUSCEPTIBLE TB.
Updated: 2024