Tuberculosis - 0.2 CEUs

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that usually attacks your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, like your brain and spine. Tuberculosis in man is caused predominantly by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There are two phases of the disease: latent infection and active disease. Active TB disease most often affects the lungs but can involve any part of the body such as the lymph nodes, bones and joints, the brain, and other organs.

• If TB is treated properly, most people can be cured of TB

• If TB is NOT treated properly, people can die from TB or develop drug-resistant forms of TB

Many people think that TB is a disease of the past — an illness that no longer threatens us today. However, TB is a continuing problem in the United States and around the world. Five things to know about TB is that 

• Anyone can get TB

• TB is not a disease of the past

• TB can happen anywhere

• Latent TB infection can be treated

• Get tested if you are at risk of TB infection

Although TB is preventable and treatable, it is still one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. Globally, nearly 2 billion people, or one fourth of the world's population, are infected with M. tuberculosis. Each year, approximately 10 million people develop TB disease, and 1.6 million people die of TB disease (CDC, 2022). 

In the United States, TB disease was once the leading cause of death. After the discovery of drugs that could treat TB in the 1950s, death rates began to drop dramatically. The United States has one of the lowest TB case rates in the world due to stringent domestic TB control activities. Despite the control activities, too many people in the United States still suffer from TB disease. Even today, TB is still a problem in the United States. Up to 13 million people are infected with M. tuberculosis. In 2020, 7,174 TB cases were reported. Each year, there are approximately 500 deaths due to TB disease in the United States (CDC, 2022).

 Many persons born outside the United States have been BCG-vaccinated. The primary benefit of BCG is its effectiveness in preventing children from contracting severe disseminated TB or TB meningitis. Outside of the United States, many countries with a high prevalence of TB vaccinate infants with BCG as part of their pediatric TB control efforts. BCG vaccination is not generally recommended in the United States because of:

• the low risk of severe disseminated TB disease in young children in the United States.

• the variable efficacy of the BCG vaccine against pulmonary TB.

• the low overall risk of infection with M. tuberculosis in the United States; and

• the vaccine’s interference with the interpretation of the TB skin test (Mantoux tuberculin skin test [TST])

 The BCG vaccine should be considered only for very select persons who meet specific criteria, and in consultation with a TB expert.