Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, called TB for short, is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is an airborne illness caused by bacterium that can live anywhere throughout the body, but is most commonly found in the lungs. A person infected with TB is only contagious if the bacterium is in the lungs or throat. TB is fatal if not treated with medication.
Transmission
TB is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings or speaks---releasing the bacterium from the lungs or throat into the air, where another person can inhale it. You can become infected by inhaling just a few TB bacterium.
High-Risk Persons
Not everyone infected with TB becomes ill. Those with week immune systems, including people with AIDS, the elderly and infants, are more susceptible to getting sick because their bodies cannot fight the bacterium to stop them from multiplying. The World Health Organization estimates that 5 to 10 percent of people exposed to TB, excluding those with AIDS, become ill.
Latent Versus Active Tuberculosis
TB that does not make a person sick is called latent tuberculosis. A person with latent tuberculosis is not contagious. When the person does become sick, she has active tuberculosis. Latent tuberculosis can become active tuberculosis at anytime, especially when your immune system is busy fighting another illness, such as a cold or flu.
Treatment
Treatment for TB includes oral TB medications for 6 to 12 months. For latent tuberculosis, doctors prescribe isoniazid. For active tuberculosis, doctors prescribe a combination of medications, including isoniazid, rifampin (Rifadin), ethambutol (Myambutol) and pyrazinamide. Doctors prescribe different medications for pregnant women, nursing women, young children or for people with AIDS. In cases of drug resistance, where the medications fail to kill the TB bacterium, doctors prescribe additional medications.
Prevalence
According to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, "worldwide, TB is the most common infectious disease." Every second, one person in the world becomes infected with Myobacterium tuberculosis, according to the WHO, although, many of those infected do not develop active tuberculosis.
TB is found all over the world but is most common in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to WHO.
Vaccine
A vaccine for tuberculosis exists but it is not commonly used in the United States. Risk of contracting the illness is lower in the U.S. than in other countries and the BCG vaccine is not always effective and it can pose some health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only recommends the BCG vaccine for "very select persons," such as health care workers who work in areas where there is a high risk of TB.
