Today is World TB Day.
But who cares about tuberculosis, a deadly and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria?
While it used to be alarming, it appears now that the disease is no longer a cause for concern as far as the public is concerned.
Probably, this complacent attitude toward the highly transmissible disease was developed after treatment was discovered.
While TB is curable with a regimen of antibiotics, it remains a fact that it is a leading cause of death in the world and, therefore, should not be swept under the rug. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that TB is the world’s 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer after Covid-19. WHO said almost a quarter of the world population is infected by TB.
Besides, there is a type of TB that is resistant to drugs — the Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). According to WHO and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States, MDR-TB is caused by an organism that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the two most potent TB drugs.
So, how does drug resistance develop?
According to the CDC, “resistance to anti-TB drugs can occur when these drugs are misused or mismanaged.” It cited instances such as patients’ failure to complete the full course of treatment; health-care providers prescribing the wrong treatment, the wrong dose, or length of time for taking the drugs; lack of drug supply; or poor drug quality.
Who is at risk of contracting MDR-TB?
According to the CDC, drug resistance is more common in people who do not take their TB medicine regularly, those who develop TB disease again after having taken TB medicine in the past, those who come from areas where drug-resistant TB is common, and those who have spent time with a carrier of drug-resistant TB disease.
Not everything is hopeless with MDR-TB. While it is resistant to the two most potent drugs, MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs. But the WHO cautioned that the second-line treatment options are limited and require extensive chemotherapy (at least nine months and up to 20 months of treatment) with medicines that are expensive and toxic.
In some cases, WHO said more extensive drug resistance can develop. That leaves patients with limited treatment options.
How does TB and MDR-TB spread?
According to the CDC, “TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. These bacteria can float in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB bacteria can become infected.”
And contrary to beliefs, the CDC said TB is not spread by the shaking of someone’s hand, sharing of food or drinks, touching bed linens or toilet seats, sharing toothbrushes, and kissing.
To remind the world that it is possible to overcome this highly transmissible disease, this year’s theme for World TB Day is “Yes! We can end TB!” It “aims to inspire hope and encourages high-level leadership, increased investments, faster uptake of new WHO recommendations, adoption of innovations, accelerated action and multisectoral collaboration to combat the TB epidemic.”
A concerted effort is necessary to address tuberculosis as it remains one of the top causes of death in the world.
In her speech for this year’s World TB Day, which is observed every 24th of March, WHO Global Tuberculosis Program chairman Tereza Kasaeva, disclosed that close to 4,400 die of TB each day, while close to 30,000 fall ill.
With this development, the public should not take TB for granted.
We should treat this infectious disease with the same urgency as we did with Covid-19 and other illnesses.
