Tuberculosis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tuberculosis - Research Paper Example According to the recent statistics by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), tuberculosis is one of the world’s deadliest diseases. It is recoded that one third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis. In the year 2013, it is recorded that 9 million people around the world became sick with tuberculosis disease. In the same year, there were around 1.5 million TB-related deaths worldwide. For people living with HIV, T.B is the leading killer. A total of 9,582 TB cases (a rate of 3.0 cases per 100,000 persons) were reported in the United States in 2013. Both the number of TB cases reported and the case rate decreased; this represents a 3.6% and 4.3% decline, respectively, compared to 2012. The rate of infection for Tuberculosis is very high and it is reported that one infected person can infect 10 to 15 people each year. Tuberculosis exists in three forms namely latent and active forms. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. They are thus said to be infected with M. tuberculosis, but do not have TB disease itself. The only indication of tuberculosis infection is a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test or TB blood test. Persons with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB infection to others. The chest X-ray for a person with latent tuberculosis looks very normal and is treating by taking a medication that lasts 9 months. On the other hand, active tuberculosis is manifested by the reproduction and spread of tuberculosis germs in the body leading to tissue damage. A person usually feels sick and symptoms include cough that lasts 3 weeks, weight loss, night sweats, and fever. In this case, a chest x-ray and other tests are needed to diagnose TB disease. According to the World Health Organization it is a proven fact that one-third of the world is infected with the Tuberculosis bacterium. Treatment of