Information on Tuberculosis

I've been reading a bit about Tuberculosis, since we're going on Tuberculosis VAD's next week. 

Alassane let me borrow a pamphlet he often refers to when dealing with Tuberculosis.

It was distributed by PNT, in collaboration with USAID and Family Health International.  The front cover states in French: “Tuberculosis is a serious disease, but it can be treated. The treatment is free and available everywhere”. From the information therein, it’s clear that the pamphlet is addressed to the general Senegalese population. The problem is that people don’t necessarily know how to read, or to read in French for that matter. And the pictures don’t really illustrate the words very well; they are very generic and poor quality.

 The pamphlet addresses the following questions:

What is Tuberculosis?

- it is an infectious disease caused by a microbe, the Koch bacilli

-the microbe usually takes over the lungs, but can also infect the kidneys, bones, and lymph nodes.

Who can catch tuberculosis?

-anyone, young or old, male or female, while or black, rich or poor.

-socio-economic status or nationality don’t matter

How can one become infected with tuberculosis?

-an infected and contagious person spits, coughs, or sneezes, projecting microbes into the air. An individual who inhales these microbes in a poorly ventilated space is likely to contract tuberculosis.

-Only the pulmonary type of tuberculosis is contagious

Which populations are especially vulnerable?

-individuals in close contact with infected individuals

-children and seniors

-individuals whose immune system is already compromised by HIV, alcoholism, malnutrition, etc…

What are some preventative steps one can take against tuberculosis?

-Airing out indoor spaces to reduce risk of contamination and exposing indoor spaces to sunlight to destroy tuberculosis microbes

-vaccinating infants

-preventative treatment of children under 5 years of age exposed to tuberculosis

-family members of a sick individual should go see a doctor to make sure no one else is infected.

How does tuberculosis manifest itself?

-individuals will not display any signs initially

-once the microbe has multiplied and is active in the body, certain symptoms will arise: a cough lasting more than 15 days, fatigue, weight loss, bloody mucus, fever and sweating especially at night, lack of appetite.

What are the consequences of tuberculosis?

-many other people can become infected, especially those in close daily contact with a sick individual

- without treatment, tuberculosis is often deadly

How does one diagnose tuberculosis?

-analysis of the collected mucus in a lab

How does one treat tuberculosis?

-treatment lasts 6 months, and has two phases

-individuals should take their medication in the morning on an empty stomach

-medication should be taken under the supervision of a ASC, a family member, or of a community agent. We call this a “Directly Observed Treatment”.

-treatment should under no circumstances be interrupted

What should one do if one is diagnosed with tuberculosis?

-take his medication according to the prescribed regiment

-keep medical appointments and allow for regular supervision

-cough into a handkerchief

-eat well.

All these questions are interspersed with blurry and pixilated photos.

1^st photo on the cover

-focus on second individual, who is keeping a watchful eye on the first individual in the foreground (appears to be a patient)

2^nd photo

Smiling family: two grown women and three young children

3^rd photo

A group of seniors practicing holding a handkerchief to their mouths when coughing

4^th photo

A lab technician looking through a microscope.