Page 21 - Dainfern Precinct_Issue2_2022

HEALTH & WELLNESS

YOU CAN Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is medication, based on the additional
symptoms of fever, chills and night
spread from person to person mainly
sweats. Frequently, the alarm bells
when an infected person sneezes,
only start ringing when the patient
coughs or spits in public and the
infected droplets suspended in the
starts losing weight unintentionally
SURVIVE TB air are breathed in by the people – this could take many months to
manifest.
around them. Some farm workers
might also contract the disease while
After starting in the lungs, the
working with cows infected with
bovine TB, and others may pick it
the body, including the lymph nodes
up if they consume unpasteurised infection then moves elsewhere in
milk or other unpasteurised dairy in the neck and groin; the bones and
products. joints; the abdomen; the kidneys;
and the spinal cord and brain
HOW PREVALENT IS THE (meningeal tuberculosis).
DISEASE WORLDWIDE? PREVENTING THE
According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), in 2020 SPREAD OF TB
Since the 70s, in South Africa, the
an estimated 10 million people Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)
contracted TB and a total of
1,5 million died from TB. Thirty vaccination has been administered
to newborn babies. That means that
countries accounted for 86% of the if you’re younger than 50, you’ve
new TB cases, with 66% of the cases had the BCG vaccination, due to
found in just eight countries – India, most likely been immunised against latent TB, or active TB. When doing
TB – however, it’s important to note
China, Indonesia, the Philippines, that the immunity only lasts between blood tests, if the main symptom is
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria 15 and 20 years and boosters are a persistent cough, the doctor might
and South Africa. However, in our ask for a chest X-ray to be taken by
region, to a lesser extent, TB is not recommended. In other words, a radiologist, to check for any lesions
the intention of the BCG vaccination
also prevalent in Angola, Namibia, is to prevent childhood TB. or abnormalities of the lungs.
Botswana, Lesotho, the Kingdom of
Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe Prevention and/or treatment after TREATMENT
and Zambia. Treatment is by way of antibiotics
that is pretty much up to you. If you prescribed by a doctor. For the first
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? are aware that someone you know two months, four different antibiotics:
There are two types of TB – latent may have TB, keep your contact with Isoniazid, Rifampin, Ethambutol
them virtual until they have been
TB, which is not contagious, and cured of the disease. and Pyrazinamide have to be taken
active TB, which is contagious and, if regularly – without skipping doses.
left untreated, can be fatal. DIAGNOSIS Thereafter, for between four and
10 months, treatment with Isoniazid
Detection of the presence of TB in
A big problem with active TB is the one’s body is done either via a TB and Rifampin is continued. One
length of time it takes to diagnose skin test or by doing blood tests. of the reasons why one has to
the disease. As it mostly starts with With the skin test, a small amount be disciplined about taking the
a lung infection that causes one of tuberculin is injected beneath the medication as prescribed is because
to cough, one might try to treat it skin on the inside of one’s forearm. the disease can become drug-
with an off the shelf cough syrup in If the site of the injection becomes resistant. In fact, the Department of
the early stages. When the cough red and slightly swollen, it’s a sign Health has indicated that there is
persists, one might consult a doctor, of the presence of TB in the body already a multi-drug resistant strain
who may then prescribe cold or flu – which could be because one has in evidence – this is of particular
concern when it comes to HIV
positive people whose immune
systems are already compromised.

CONCLUSION
The bottom line is, if you have
a persistent cough, don’t ignore
it. Have yourself tested for TB. If
you suspect that your children or
children that you know have not
yet had the BCG vaccination, make
arrangements/strongly advise their
parents to vaccinate them.

TB meningitis is particularly deadly and
not all kids can be saved, even if they
are treated in the country’s top medical
facilities by highly skilled doctors.
REFERENCES
https://tbfacts.org/history-tb-south-africa/
https://www.who.int/health-topics/
tuberculosis
https://www.cdc.gov

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