Tuberculosis (TB) has been the second infectious killer after Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, according to the WHO TB report of 2021.
The deadly disease has killed more than 1.5 million people globally and in South Africa, 61 000 people died of TB in 2020. This is equivalent to 1100 deaths per week, 157 every day and six deaths per hour.
The airborne disease can be treated with specific antibiotics if diagnosed early. Infection can occur when someone breathes in respiratory droplets that contain bacteria which is expelled from someone when they cough, sneeze, laugh, talk or sing.
To make matters worse, infected droplets can travel long distances and remain airborne for a long time. This is why poorly ventilated buildings or vehicles can increase the risk of contracting TB if a person with TB is coughing or talking in that space.
If you have a cold and cough for longer than two weeks, it is advised to get tested for TB as soon as possible, to get treatment and prevent transmission.
Resistance to TB can be weakened by several factors that include chronic diseases like diabetes and asthma along with poor nutrition and smoking. When infected by TB while having a chronic illness, your immune system is more susceptible to contracting it.
Factors like dependency on alcohol or drugs can cause poor nutritional status which makes the immune system fragile and easily exposes someone to TB.
According to the WHO 2021 report, .74 million new TB cases worldwide were attributable to alcohol use disorder and 0.73 million were attributable to smoking
Dr Angeliqe Luabeya Kany Kany will host a live on our Facebook page, on the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle when it comes to TB.
Luabeya said it is important that people become knowledgeable about the deadly disease that kills many people around the world all year round.
“Millions of people were infected in 2020 and 1.5 million people died of TB while we were fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
She added: “We don’t have a TB vaccine that can protect us durably against TB. We are all at risk as TB is an infectious disease and it is airborne.”
By tuning into our Facebook live, you can expect to gain an in-depth knowledge of what TB is, how it is transmitted and the factors that affect transmission and the progression of TB.
“I will be discussing TB vaccines, the possibility of treatment if you get sick, what to do if you have symptoms and critical adherence to treatment to be cured and prevent resistant TB,” she said.
Facebook live details:
Date and Time: Wednesday, 23 March 2022 at 1 PM.
Place: Weekend Argus Facebook page