By Akinremi Simbiat

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the lungs.it is caused by bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis; tuberculosis can also affect other organs like the spine, brain and kidney. According to WHO 1.5million people died from the disease in 2020. TB can be spread when a person with active TB disease releases bacteria into the air through coughing, sneezing, talking, singing or even laughing. People nearby who breathe in bacteria can get TB.

If the bacteria survive and multiply in an individual’s lungs, it’s called a TB infection. TB infection maybe in one of four stages with different symptoms for each type.

-Primary TB infection; is the first stage in which the immune system cells finds, captures and fight off the bacteria, but it sometimes doesn’t destroy all of them and the ones that survive multiply.At this stage most people don’t have symptoms or may have flu like symptoms like low fever, tiredness or cough.

-Latent TB infection; is the second stage, at this stage the immune system tries to stop the bacteria from spreading by building a wall around the lung tissue infected with the bacteria. The bacteria may survive but no symptoms is expressed at this stage nor is the infected individual contagious.

Active TB disease; at this stage the immune system cannot control the TB infection. The bacteria can spread throughout the lungs and other parts of the body. Individuals at this stage are usually contagious; they have symptoms like cough, coughing up blood/mucus, chest pain, pain with breathing or coughing, fever chills, night sweats, weight loss, low appetite and tiredness.

-Active TB disease outside the lungs; TB infection can spread to other parts of the body which determine the symptom depending on body part affected. Common symptoms may include fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss, and loss of appetite, tiredness and pain near site of infection.

Other body parts commonly affected by TB diseases outside the lungs are kidneys, liver, fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, heart muscles, genitals, lymph nodes, bones and joints, skin, walls of blood vessels and the larynx.

TB can be diagnosed by testing the skin(mantoux tuberculin skin test) or blood(inferferon gamma release assays (IGRAs))or sputumn for a patient coughing for over 2 weeks (Gene Xpert) and also through TB LAM test for HIV positive clients. For confirmation and to determine stage of TB; a chest x-ray or CT scan and Acid fast bacillus tests are also conducted.

Having a weak immune system puts an individual at greater risk of contracting the bacteria, conditions such as diabetes, end stage kidney diseases, malnutrition, long time alcoholic or smoker increases the risk of contracting the bacteria.

HIV weakens the immune system and increases chances of contracting the bacteria, hence most PLHIV contract the  bacteria and develop the disease if they are not cautious or adhere to their HIV medication.

TB is treated in 2 phases: the intensive face which is for 2 months by using drug combination of Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide (RHZE); the continuous phase which is for 4 months by using drug combination of Isoniazid and Rifampicin. A final test is usually done at the end of the 6th month to check whether the patient is TB free.

TB is contagious and life threatening but its curable with medication and following recommended healthier lifestyle