LIFESTYLE NEWS - Anyone can get tuberculosis (TB).
TB is not a disease for the poor only. A fit, well to do man from from George recently discovered this after he was diagnosed with TB. Doctors often don't consider TB as a possible cause of their patient's malady if the patient does not fall into the typical high risk group.
It is an infectious disease that is caused by a germ that attacks and damages the lungs and it can be easily passed on to others through coughing or sneezing. When an infected person coughs, sneezes or spits saliva onto the ground, the germs are spread into the surrounding air and remain there for a long time. If you inhale that air, you can breathe in the germs and get infected.
• Constant coughing that lasts for over three weeks
• Discoloured or bloody sputum (mucus coughed up from the lungs)
• Drenching night sweats
• Fatigue
• Mild fever or chills
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Pain in the chest while breathing or coughing
Free testing is done at the nearest clinic. Testing for adults is done by taking two sputum (spit) samples and the results are normally available after two to three days. Testing for children is done using skin tests and chest X-rays. TB treatment is free from clinics.
The patient will be started on TB medication, and the treatment is taken for six to eight months. A nurse at the clinic will explain the disease, how it is treated, the importance of adherence support that can be provided while on treatment, the diet to follow, the importance of screening your immediate family members as well as things to avoid while on treatment.
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