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| Image from: http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/10/03/vitamin-d-may-treat-tuberculosis/ |
On January 17, 2014 Honor Whiteman
posted an article titled “Patients with untreatable tuberculosis ‘are spreading
infection’” on the Medical News Today website, which discussed the problem of
drug resistant Tuberculosis. South Africa many patients with drug resistant
Tuberculosis are being released back into communities to spread the very
infectious disease after doctors failed attempts at treating patients with this
type of TB. TB is spread through airborne particles and therefore is extremely contagious
from one person to another.
Since so many people in South
Africa are sick with TB the hospitals do not have enough beds to keep patients
with long term drug resistant TB and therefore let them out into the community.
Unfortunately, what this is ultimately doing is causing more cases of drug
resistant TB in the area since the disease is so contagious amongst people. According
to Honor Whiteman, “The disease
primarily affects the lungs, but it can also affect other organs. Typical
symptoms of the disease include persistent coughing (in which a person can
bring up blood), weight loss, night sweats, a fever,
tiredness
and fatigue, and loss of appetite.” These symptoms are without a doubt
very painful for a patient and can have an affect on a person’s quality of
life, especially if the patient has a form of drug resistant TB, making their
case very hard to treat.
Tuberculosis has a very personal
connection to my family. When I was doing genealogy for my history class last
year I learned from my great grandmother who is ninety- three that both her
mother and a few of her sisters had tuberculosis when she was growing up. She
told me that the reason her father bought their house in Stoneham on Curve Road
was because their house sat up on top of a hill and that the doctor told him
that higher elevation would be good for his wife and daughters condition. Also,
she told me that her father used to carry the very weak girls outside into the
sun during the day to let them get some fresh air. Unfortunately despite her
father’s great efforts both her mother and some of her sisters died of
Tuberculosis.
This article was very interesting
to read and really brought into the light for me what an issue TB truly is in
South Africa. It is so sad that just because a patient has drug resistant TB
they are sent back out into the community to fend for themselves and ultimately
to continue spreading the disease because the hospitals do not have enough beds
to accommodate all the people with TB in South Africa. This year in History and
Science of Epidemic Disease we have learned a lot about how different
infectious diseases spread. Tuberculosis is extremely contagious because it is
spread through airborne droplets from one person to another. Unlike other
diseases that we have learned about that are spread from people from a vector,
feces, or something else this disease is truly infectious person to person. Tuberculosis
is a huge issue around the world and this article truly highlights just how
devastating the disease is, especially in South Africa.
Link to Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271338.php
I thought it was interesting to read that because the doctors and caretakers in South Africa couldn't find a cure for their TB patients, they had to send them on their way. I also think that because the villages are struck with poverty, they don't have the resources they need to treat diseases such as TB. It is devastating to know that many die from a disease that is easily cured in the United States. I also thought it was cool how you brought your personal life into the article summary, it made it more interesting to read and that the disease can be deadly anywhere from South Africa to Stoneham Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Hadley, it is terrible how those infected with TB are being sent back into the community because there are not enough beds to accommodate those infected. They are not only putting those sick at risk, but also those who are not sick. They are allowing the disease to spread even further making it more difficult to put a stop to it. Like Megan, I think it is interesting how you connected your experiences to the article.
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