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• Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The infection mostly affects the lungs but can also spread elsewhere in the body. Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide and is estimated to kill one person every twenty seconds.

• Fast Facts

  1. Also known as TB, "Consumption"
  2. 1/3 of world's population carries the bacteriumWorld Health Organization: Tuberculosis Fact Sheet
  3. Every second, someone is infectedWorld Health Organization: Tuberculosis Fact Sheet
  4. 5-10% of people infected demonstrate symptomsWorld Health Organization: Tuberculosis Fact Sheet
  5. Symptoms: coughing, weight loss, fever, night sweats
  6. Cause discovered by Robert KochNobelPrize.org: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1905
  7. Can be deadly
  8. Latent form most common
  9. XDR TB (extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis) develops if treatments are not conducted properly
  10. On March 10, 2009, the CDC confirmed that a man traveling from Frankfurt, Germany to Detroit, Michigan was infected with TuberculosisThe Detroit News: 17 fliers sought as man with TB held (March 16, 2009)
  11. Although the risk is considered low, the CDC requires testing for those sitting in the same row as the infected man, as well as those sitting two rows ahead and two rows behindThe Detroit News: 17 fliers sought as man with TB held (March 16, 2009)

• Transmission

  When a person suffering from tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, they send infectious aerosol droplets out into the air. If another person inhales even one of these infected droplets, they can contract the disease. At particular risk are children, those suffering from compromised immune systems, and anyone exposed to infected persons on an ongoing basis, such as health care workers.

• Famous Sufferers

  • • Doc Holliday
    • Robert Louis Stevenson
    • Henry David Thoreau
    • Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    • Frederic Chopin
    • John Keats

• Tuberculosis in Culture

  Owing to its highly infectious and fatal nature, the disease has inspired a variety of folk explanations, remedies and treatments throughout human history. In the 18th century, dying of tuberculosis was widely considered to be "romantic," a cleansing of the soul that led to a burst of creative inspiration and a general feeling of euphoria.

• Disclaimer

  The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you think you have Tuberculosis, please consult your doctor.

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  World Tuberculosis Day | Bacterial Infections | Bacteria | HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) | AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) | Fever | Cough | Weight Loss | Addison's Disease | Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) | XDR TB | Isolation Order

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