28/03/2023
'Yes! We can end TB!' – that is the spirit we should all embody today as we commemorate World TB Day. Today is about inspiring hope and encouraging multisectoral collaboration to combat the TB epidemic that causes the deaths of several million people each year.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne disease spread by tiny germs in the air. The TB germs may spray into the air if a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, shouts, or sneezes and anyone nearby can breathe the TB germs into their lungs. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.
While tuberculosis (TB) can be fatal, it is easily curable with treatment. TB can however, go undetected for years so it’s important to spread awareness. Many people with TB probably don’t even know that they have it. Latent tuberculosis can lie dormant for years with no symptoms. Some of the symptoms of TB include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood.
In South Africa, TB is still a big problem hence it is important to practise preventative measures such as getting tested regularly, keeping your immune system healthy by eating fruits and vegetables and practising good hygiene.
Sources:
1. World Tuberculosis Day 2023, World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day/2023 #:~:text=World%20TB%20Day%202023%2C%20with,to%20combat%20the%20TB%20epidemic.
2. World TB Day 2023, Government portal
https://www.gov.za/WorldTBDay2023
3. World Tuberculosis Day, National Today
https://nationaltoday.com/world-tuberculosis-day/
4. Tuberculosis: General Information, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tb.htm #:~:text=What%20Are%20the%20Symptoms%20of,the%20coughing%20up%20of%20blood.
