Tuberculosis: Global Concern & Its Epidemiology - Essay Sample

Introduction

Tuberculosis has become a global concern, and it is, therefore, essential to have an understanding of its epidemiology to ensure its effective management. Epidemiology relates to researching the level of incidence and the determinants of health problems in specific groups and using the research to monitor and control the circumstances. Tuberculosis is an illness that has been in existence for quite a long time in the life of human beings. The disease was at one time ranked among the most killer diseases (Bekmurzayev, Sypabekova & Kanayeva, 2013). The condition is known to affect thoracic bones, especially the upper part, and the result is that tissues become deformed. The infectious disease has been for some time grouped among the deadly diseases together with the human immune deficiency virus (HIV). Mycobacterium tuberculosis is known to cause tuberculosis, and the infection also endangers the lungs leading to conditions associated with pulmonary diseases. The disease can be transmitted through different methods such as sneezing, coughing, singing, or even speaking to a person too close. Another means the virus can be transmitted to another person is through the inhaling of fluids that contain the disease (Bekmurzayev, et al., 2013).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Risk of infection with Tuberculosis depend on factors such as coming into close contact with an infected person, the exposure or surrounding, length of contact, the airborne virulence of tubercle bacilli as well as one's susceptibility. The time of incubation from infection to successful tuberculin production can be from one week to a year. Strategies for controlling Tuberculosis transmission include case identification and diagnosis, latent infection control, and vaccine. Improvements in the Government's diagnosis capability and vibrant monitoring systems can also be of significance. The screening protocol for tuberculosis requires skin checks for Tuberculin, sputum extraction, sputum smear detection, active TB clinical guidelines, and interferon-gamma assays for latent TB.

Factors That Have Contributed to the Global Resurgence of TB

Several factors have contributed to the global resurgence of TB. Some of these factors include the emergence of drug-resistant TB strains, HIV epidemic, public health systems that, immigration of people from countries that have been known to have a high prevalence of TB, among others. In the emergence of drug-resistant strains, drugs that have been created to fight bacteria, cause tuberculosis to develop resistance due to their continued use. The result is that the drug becomes ineffective in that they can notcure the disease due to variants of TB that come up. Some of these include extensively resistant TB and multidrug-resistant TB; these drug-resistant TB strains have contributed significantly to the global resurgence of TB as the diseases become more complicated and harder to treat (Bekmurzayev. et al., 2013).

HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) that refers to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome affects the body by interfering with the body's immune system. As a result, the body's immune system becomes weaker and susceptible to diseases. Deaths caused by TB are higher to people who are living with HIV/AIDS due to the weakened immune; HIV/AIDS puts people at higher risk of being killed by TB. Another factor leading to the global resurgence of TB is weak health institutions; the commitment of a country toward developing a strong health system will be of great help in fighting the spread of TB disease. It will be hard to control TB when a country has limited resources and weak public health systems since to ensure effective control of TB is dependent on reliable health infrastructures and political commitment (CDC - TB 101 - Main Menu - Web Courses - TB, 2020).

Statistics Regarding Tuberculosis Globally and in the United States

Tuberculosis continues being among the world's deadliest diseases, despite the disease being in existence for a long time and can be prevented and treated. Globally it is estimated that about two million people get diagnosed with TB every year, out of which around nine million develop the disease while 1.4 million dies of tuberculosis. According to the world health organization, the number of people killed by tuberculosis per day is five thousand (Bekmurzayev. et al., 2013). The disease has had negative impacts on the economy, but there are plans to ensure the disease is brought to control by 2030 (Tuberculosis data, 2020). TB used to lead in deaths occurring in the United States until drugs that could cure the disease were discovered, after which the rates of death arising from tuberculosis dropped significantly. In 2008 the cases reported per hundred thousand persons were 2.8. These cases are reported by sixty states within the US (Trends 2018 | Data & Statistics | TB | CDC, 2020). It is estimated that people with latent TB infection are about 13 million. In the United States, the disease is familiar to people that have been born outside from other states. Most of these people come from countries such as Vietnam, China, Haiti, and India, as in 2008, people born outside the US represented 70% of those with tuberculosis. People who die from the disease have also been on the decline over the years, for instance, those who died of TB in 2007 were less than those who died in 2006 (Trends 2018 | Data & Statistics | TB | CDC, 2020).

Summarize Continuing Challenges to TB Control in the United States

Even after deaths reduced, challenges are still there, and the disease is always a challenge to tackle, in the US millions of people are getting infected with the disease. Generally, the diseases have declined, but challenges have been reported as it has increased in some states. The emergence of TB that is drug-resistant has led to difficulties in treatment. Existence of other diseases like diabetes, HIV/AID adding that there are also other conditions likely to be immune compromising makes it hard to manage such patients when they develop tuberculosis (CDC - TB 101 - Main Menu - Web Courses - TB, 2020).

There is high exposure to TB in other countries where the rate of infection is high, countries such as China, India, Haiti, and Vietnam; this makes people in these countries to have a higher rate of spreading the disease when they visit the United States (Bekmurzayev et al., 2013). A large number of people who have their origins outside the United States of America spreading the disease is a challenge to the United States. For instance, over thirteen million people with TB infection in the United States, most of them are not born there and got infected with the disease from other areas outside the US. Furthermore, a portion of people with infection on latent TB also get infectious TB diseases in the course of their life; there is also TB cases with the vast majority where people infected have untreated latent TB with their conditions developing into active disease (CDC - TB 101 - Main Menu - Web Courses - TB, 2020).

Conclusion

To sum up, has become a global concern, and it is, therefore, essential to have an understanding of its epidemiology to ensure its effective management. Epidemiology relates to researching the level of incidence and the determinants of health problems in specific groups and using the research to monitor and control the circumstances. It continues being among the world's deadliest diseases, despite the disease being in existence for a long time and can be prevented and treated.

References

Bekmurzayeva, A., Sypabekova, M., & Kanayeva, D. (2013). Tuberculosis diagnosis using immunodominant, secreted antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis, 93(4), 381-388. doi: 10.1016/j.tube.2013.03.003

CDC - TB 101 - Main Menu - Web Courses - TB. (2020). Retrieved 11 February 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/tb/webcourses/tb101/intro.html

Trends 2018 | Data & Statistics | TB | CDC. (2020). Retrieved 11 February 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/statistics/tbtrends.htm

Tuberculosis data. (2020). Retrieved 11 February 2020, from https://www.who.int/tb/data/en/