Epidemiology Paper:
Tuberculosis
Sara Abayneh
NRS – 427V
Grand Canyon University
12/22/2014

Tuberculosis is a multi-systematic infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, a rod-shaped bacterium, which most commonly affects the lungs, as well as any part of the body such as kidney, spine, lymph nodes, bones and, brain. According to CDC (2014), the universal symptoms of TB disease includes sickness, weight loss, weakness, fever and night sweat. The signs of lung (pulmonary) TB also includes coughing, with or without blood, and chest pain. This silent killer disease is primarily airborne, spreading from person to person when tiny microscopic droplets of germs are released into the air when an individual with vigorous tuberculosis infection of the lungs or esophagus coughs, sneezes, communicates, or laughs. These microorganisms can remain alive in the air for some hours, depending on the conditions of the environment (WHO, 2014). Severity of TB ranges from minor to severe complication, which may lead to death. Some severe impediments include damaged lung functions, bone pain, meningitis, kidney and/or liver malfunction or unusual disturbances. According to Mayo Clinic (2014), medications are vital for TB treatments, however if taken much longer time than other bacterial infections for TB treatment antibiotics must be taken for six - nine months where the exact drugs of lengths treatment depend on age, general condition, medicine conflict, the system of TB and contamination’s location in the body or the patient, TB is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide due to a single infections agent, It was responsible for the infection infecting 9 million people and for the deaths of 1.5 million people in 2013 worldwide (CDC, 2014). About 550,000 children died of tuberculosis disease and 80,000 children who were without HIV infection perished to TB in 2013