Tuberculosis: A Global Health Crisis - Essay Sample

Introduction

Tuberculosis is a disease that is caused by a bacterium known as mycobacterium tuberculosis, which affects the human lungs mostly. It is a disease that is preventable and curable as well. Likewise, the condition is spread through the air from one individual to another and can be spread through sneezing, coughing, and also laughing. One-quarter of the global population has been affected by latent TB. In developing countries, the spread of active TB has increased over the years during the years. When an individual has developed active TB, he or she may have several symptoms such as weight loss, night sweat, fever, and also cough.

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The disease frequently affects the adults in their productive years, but all the age groups are prone to the risk of contracting about 90% of the deaths, and cases are found in the developing countries such as Africa. Also, the risk of contracting the disease is higher with persons who have weak immune systems. For example, individuals who are infected by the virus of HIV are 19 times more probable to have active TB. Other groups include young children, and babies whose immune system are yet to mature, recipients of organ transplant and individual who suffer from chronic illness such as kidney disease and diabetes.

Furthermore, 60% of the TB cases have occurred in people aged between 25-64 years. Moreover, the age that is at high risk of contracting tuberculosis is individuals who are older than 65 years. Research indicates that TB disease is mostly uncommon for children aged 5-15 years. Most of the countries where tuberculosis is widespread in Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Undernutrition of a person also contributes to the spread of tuberculosis within a community. Similarly, the use of alcohol has dramatically increased the risk of the disease.

Some of the environmental, social, and economic risk factors that have contributed significantly to the spread of tuberculosis are poverty that as attributed to malnutrition and excessive use of alcohol. Also, it is due to overcrowding of living conditions and indoor air pollution that had increased the spread of the disease and also the severity of e clinical results. Hence there must be available resources within the community that will help in elevating the spread of tuberculosis. First, there must be community involvement programs where the community member joins hand to ensure the environment is clean, reporting any incidence to the state local health facility to take action in preventing the spread of the disease.

There should be finances that will be used in funding the programs that aim at eradicating tuberculosis and coming up with strategies and policies used in preventing the spread of the disease. The government, non-governmental organization, and the healthcare programs would use educational training a plan in creating awareness about tuberculosis and how it can be controlled and prevented. During these training, there needs to be materials such as pamphlets that will help in reducing the spread of tuberculosis.

Hence the community and the nation at large have decided to increase immunization of the disease in all ages. The tool is, therefore, vital in making people understand the basic facts about tuberculosis and how they can prevent it from spreading to other people who are not infected. The tool has targeted all ages, especially the young generation, between the age of 25-65. The device also mentions some of the self-management approaches, such as maintain nutrition and lifestyle regulation, where the targeted group can decide to evaluate the information and use it to prevent the spread of the disease within the community.