Tuberculosis, or better still TB as it is commonly known, still remains one of South Africa’s leading killer diseases.
TB is a curable infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. It can also affect any other part of the body. It is caused by a germ called mycobacterium tuberculosis and it spreads when someone with active TB coughs, talks, sneezes or spits the TB germs into the air.
The signs of TB:
· Coughing longer than two weeks
· Loss of appetite
· Loss of weight
· Night sweats (even when it is cold)
· Feeling tired or weak
· Chest pains
· Shortness of breath
· Coughing up blood.
Types of TB:
· Pulmonary TB (lung TB)
· Extra-pulmonary TB (TB outside of the lungs or in any other part of the body)
TB is diagnosed by visiting the nearest health facility and the following tests may be done:
· Free testing of sputum (phlegm)
· Free X-Ray
· Free skin test may be done on children.
Some other tests may also be done in hospital. TB treatment is free in all public facilities (clinics and hospitals) and is treated for a minimum period of six months for those who have never had TB before.
Eight months to one year of medication for those who were treated for TB before or have extra pulmonary TB. Treatment must be taken daily or seven days a week. The reason why TB treatment sometimes fails is because people often do not detect the disease until it is too late.
Sometimes it’s because treatment is not completed and not taken regularly. Incomplete treatment may create resistant forms of TB such as MDR or XDR TB. MDR TB is expensive and takes 18 to 24 months to be treated, while MDR TB has a poor chance of cure.
There is also an interesting relationship between HIV/Aids and TB. TB is curable even if one is HIV positive and if one is HIV positive, there’s a 10 percent chance that every year one will get TB. All TB patients should be counselled and tested for HIV and all HIV-positive patients should be tested for TB.
TB can be prevented by eating healthy foods and having plenty of fresh air and sunshine by opening all windows and doors. TB patients should have regular exercise and rest and should minimise or stop smoking and drinking alcohol or drugs.
