This was an interesting article on the state of Tuberculosis in the U.S. TB is a disease spread person to person by germs in the air. Symptoms include fever, weakness, and coughing. Left untreated the disease can potentially be fatal.
Although cases were down by 6.4% from 2010 to 2011 but it is important to note that infection rates in certain ethnic groups have raised significantly. A service officer for the CDC commented on the situation, "Despite the fact that TB is declining it is important to be vigilant about TB and the hardest-hit communities." Asians specifically experienced a 25% increase in the number of cases now with the highest number of cases of TB.
Strangely enough it was also found that there is a 12% higher risk of getting TB for those who are born out of the country. Also, people with HIV are at a great risk of contracting the disease. Some 8% of HIV victims also become infected with TB.
The article also emphasizes the fact that although the numbers overall are decreasing, there is still a potential for TB to become pandemic. This is due to the fact that drug resistant TB is becoming a world-wide problem. To fight off this new strain it is important to have a better diagnostic test so that treatment can start as soon as possible. But on the downside, the drugs used to treat this TB are more expensive, more toxic and take almost twice the amount of time as the usual TB drugs.
Originally there had been a goal to eradicate TB by 2010. Obviously that didn’t happen. As is now it doesn’t look like eradication is even plausible in the next 90 years. But, the CDC is working to decrease the span of that goal. So, the good of increased awareness has to be taken with the bad of the drug resistant cases of TB that are becoming more frequent.
This article is important because it highlights the important issues of TB while also putting it all in context. It was also really interesting to see how differently ethnic groups can be affected by the same disease. It brings up the same question that we have looked into a few times in class.
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ReplyDeleteI thought this article was very interesting because it can relate to the book we are reading in class Mountains Beyond Mountains. Dr. Farmer mentions TB a lot and some of the facts stated in the article match up with the cases he talked about from Haiti. For example, this article says that people with HIV have a greater risk of getting TB. This proved to be true with a lot of Dr. Farmer’s patients. Another thing that I found interesting was that there is a 12% higher risk of catching TB is you were not born in the U.S. Also, I thought it was interesting that the number of cases have increased significantly through certain ethnic groups. This could be because of where they live. Maybe it is like Haiti and they don’t have proper medical treatment and care. Nevertheless, this article was very informative and provides a lot of interesting information on Tuberculosis.
ReplyDeleteThis article really caught my eye because it relates to the book Mountains beyond Mountains were reading in class right now. Dr. Paul Farmer experiences many cases in dealing with TB, and parts of this article relates to those experiences. For example it says that you have a 12% higher risk of contracting TB if your foreign born, and he is dealing with all foreign cases. One part that really surprised me was that it stated that Asians experienced a 25% increase in the number of TB cases.
DeleteI find this article interesting because there was a belief that TB could be eradicated in 2010. The CDC thought that they had this disease under control but its code got manipulated and now there is a new strand that is drug resistant. It is unfortunate that the disease could not have been eradicated but I think its very interesting that they may not be able to rid of it for another 90 years now.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting. It caught my eye because Tuberculosis is a disease I've heard about before, but we haven't it studied in class yet. The fact that certain ethnic groups have a greater chance of getting TB differs greatly from the disease we are currently studying; polio. Polio can affect any race, age, and gender. Therefore, it was surprising to read that Asians specifically experienced a 25% increase in the number of cases of TB. I agree with Jess that this probably has something to do with lack of medical treatment and care out of the country.
ReplyDeleteThis article is relevant to this class because it is about TB which we talk a lot about since it is constantly mentioned in our mountains beyond mountains book. I think that is crazy that they thought by 2010 this disease could be eradicated and now doctors don't believe there will be a chance of eradication in the next 90 years! I remember in the book Paul talking about 10 patients who did everything they could to treat their disease but then found out that they have multi-drug resistant TB. I wonder if other diseases have strains that are multi-drug resistant or if it is just TB. I dont understand how the number of TB cases are dropping if the multi-drug resistant TB is on the rise and if TB is so easily transmitted from person to person through the air and respiratory droplets. I really hope in the future that a new vaccine can be created that kills MDR TB.
ReplyDeleteTuberculosis is mentioned many times throughout Mountains Beyond Mountains so this article directly relates to what we are learning in class. I was very surprised to learn that there was an increase in cases in Asians. I feel that we can relate Tuberculosis with the flu because of the different strains and it has become drug resistant. It is unfortunate that the drugs are more expensive and more toxic to help cure TB. I hope that the span of the goal decreases and that Tuberculosis can eventually be eradicated.
ReplyDeleteLike most people have said, this connects to our book Mountains beyond Mountains. TB was a big problem for Paul in Haiti and in Puerto Rico, and multi drug resistant TB kills one of Paul's close friends. It is a disease we haven't talked about much in class, but it is coming up everywhere! Hopefully the CDC can decrease that 90 years and save many many lives. We need to all work together and find ways to stay healthier as a global community. Together we can do it. Sounds corny, but that is the only way it will work.
ReplyDeleteThis article really shows the impact that TB has in the US. One thing I found interesting while reading the article and Lexie's review was that TB seems to be targeting ethnic races that live in or move to the US. We usually learn that epidemic diseases do not discriminate against races or ethnicities, but here we are seeing the opposite. It is interesting that Asians are twenty-five percent at higher risk of getting cases of TB. Also, it is a little scary to know that peopple being born out of the US are at a 12% higher risk of getting TB, because they then move to the US and can spread it to people here. It is a little sad that the goal of reaching an eradication of TB in the US by 2010 did not happen, but it looks like we are on the right path. This article clearly connects with the Mountains Beyond Mountains book because Paul Farmer sees and treats cases of TB every day. It is a serious condition in the towns of Haiti, and Farmer is helping them decrease the number of cases seen per year.
ReplyDeleteI find it strange how there was a goal to eradicate TB, when it still has the possibility of becoming a pandemic due to the new strand. As talked about in a recent malaria most on the group, the fact that drug resistant strands of diseases is frightening. Although, in the future, there will most likely be a cure for them. But, the fact that diseases can morph over and over again creates a fear that it will always be one step ahead of science and vaccination. This article made me wonder why certain ethnic groups are affected more than others. Also, even though cases are down 6.4%, it really does not seem like it is slowing down enough to be eradicated like mentioned. To be the eradication of TB at this point and time doesn't seem like a very reachable goal.
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