According the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) one out of every three people in the world is infected with Tuberculosis (TB), one of the World's deadliest diseases.
It is estimated that each year, almost 2 million people around the world die of TB.
Ms.
Kelly Smith, MPH, Program Manager at the Francis E.
Curry National Tuberculosis (TB) Center at the University of California, San Francisco, reminds us that the efforts to control TB must also be coordinated and global.
We must all remain conscious of this disease because our freedom to travel and to migrate to various countries of the world makes all of us vulnerable -no matter who we are, or where we live.
Awareness again is the basis for treatment and for prevention of this global disease.
What is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is spread through the air from one person to another.
It mainly affects the lungs and moves between people when one person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, laughs, speaks, or sings.
When TB germs multiply, the kidneys, brain, spine, or other parts of the body can also be affected.
How would I know if I have TB? If you have the active TB disease in your lungs, you may have chills and/or fever, cough a lot, cough up mucus or blood or have chest pain when you cough.
You may also feel weak and tired, lose weight, lose your appetite and sweat a lot at night.
These symptoms usually last several weeks and usually get worse unless treated.
However, not everyone who has been infected with TB feels ill or has symptoms of TB.
If you have a latent TB infection (LTBI), you may not feel ill, will not be infectious, and cannot spread the TB to someone else.
Approximately one out of every ten infected people will develop active TB, usually within 2 years of becoming infected.
If you have been in contact with someone who has TB, your local health department or your primary care provider can conduct a thorough physical exam and test you to see if you have become infected.
There are two types of tests that your health care provider can recommend to detect TB infection: a skin test (PPD) or a special TB blood test.
The PPD can take up to three days to determine if the person is infected: the blood test takes a slightly shorter time.
Other tests such as a chest x-ray and/or a sample of sputum may also be used.
If you have TB infection you may be given medication to prevent the TB infection from becoming the TB disease.
If you have TB disease, medication will be used to kill the TB germs.
TB germs die very slowly and it is very important in both cases, to regularly take all the medication prescribed for you.
Usually nine months to one year is the time the medication is prescribed.
If you stop taking the medication too soon, you may become ill again, and the gems may develop resistance to the drugs.
These cases of drug resistant TB are very difficult to treat.
How can I protect my family if I have Tuberculosis? The most important thing to remember if you have TB disease of the throat or lungs is to take al I all your medications exactly as ordered by your healthcare provider.
Always cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough, sneeze, or laugh.
Throw the tissue away immediately in a closed bag.
Sleep in a bedroom away from other family members until the medications have taken effect, usually 2 to 3 weeks and air out your room often.
A fan in the window blowing air out (exhaust) will decrease TB germs in the room.
People with TB can infect someone with whom they spend time every day.
This is the reason that health care workers are routinely tested for TB at least once each year.
They come in contact with many people who are possible sources of TB infection.
Have everyone who was in close contact with you before you started the medication, tested for TB infection.
I am afraid I may forget to take the medication exactly the way the doctor told me.
It is very important that you have written directions on how your health care provider wants you to take the medications.
This is the first step in remembering to take the medications as ordered.
As with any medication that you may need to take regularly, you will be most successful if you develop a routine around taking the medication.
For example, take your pills at the same time every day.
You can set an alarm on your cell phone, or just take them with breakfast or when you have your morning coffee.
You may ask a family member or friend to remind you or to check and see if you have taken your pills that day.
If you prepare the medication at the beginning of the week in a pill dispenser, you will be able to easily see if you took your pills every day.
You can also place a mark on your calendar each day to indicate that you remembered to take your pills.
If you miss a day, follow the instructions given to you by your healthcare provider about a missed dose.
Usually you will be told to skip the missed day and take the pills again at the next scheduled time.
If you do not trust that you can take the pills regularly on your own, or if you notice that you are missing doses often, notify your health care provider.
There is a service available in most communities (Directly Observed Therapy or DOT) where you meet with a health care worker every day, or a few times a week, at a convenient place.
The meeting may be in your home or a community center, your work or a TB clinic.
You take the medication during this brief meeting while the health care worker watches.
Remember awareness is the first step in treatment and prevention of global TB disease.