Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease most often affects the lungs, but it can also spread to other parts of the body: kidneys, bones, brain, intestines, etc. when the symptoms and signs of the disease are related to the affected organ. One-third of the world's population carries this bacteria and has no symptoms of the disease (latent form). However, 10% of infected individuals will get sick at some point in their lives, when their resistance decreases.

Source of infection

The source of the infection is a sick person who: by sneezing, coughing and spitting, throws droplets with bacteria into the surrounding air when another person inhales it, becomes infected. It spreads quickly in poor and overcrowded areas so family members and close friends of an infected person are in a higher risk of getting the diseases. Risk factors for the development of the illness include environment factors, such as smoking, use of alcohol and drugs and immunodeficiency (such as in HIV/AIDS).

Incubation period

The disease can occur a few weeks after infection or years later.

Symptoms and signs of pulmonary tuberculosis are:

• A cough that lasts for three or more weeks
• Coughing up blood or purulent sputum
• Chest pain when breathing and coughing
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss

If these signs and symptoms of the disease occur in your child, it is necessary to consult a doctor, especially if the child has been in contact with a person suffering from tuberculosis.

Treatment of tuberculosis

The disease is treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs, and the treatment is long-lasting. Children under the age of 2 are particularly susceptible and prone to severe, widespread forms of the disease, which are difficult to detect and treat, which can be fatal.

Traetment of latent tuberculosis

If a child or older persons was infected with tuberculosis following exposure to a person suffering from tuberculosis, many times he should be treated even if there are no symptoms to eradicated the bacteria and to prevent reactivation of the disease when the immunologic resistance decreses. Detection of prior infection is done by a skin test called Mantoux - tebuerculin skin test or  a blood test.  The skin test is performed by injecting a small amount of fluid into the skin on the lower part of the arm. A person given the tuberculin skin test must return within 48 to 72 hours to have a trained person look for a reaction on the arm. The result depends on the size of the raised, hard area or swelling.

Prevention

To protect infants from tuberculosis, live BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) vaccine is used for prevention. It is a weakened type of tuberculosis bacteria that causes infection of cows but not of humans. It is an important vaccine for babies since It may prevent most of the  brain infection and almost half of the lung complications with tuberculosis. Newborn babies receive this vaccine in the left upper arm before being discharged from the hospital. In case he/she did not receive it for some reason (delivery outside the maternity ward or other), it is necessary to administer the vaccine until the age of 2 months and no later than 12 months. 

In the prevention of tuberculosis and its spread, the most crucial health measure is the vaccination of children, but also the early detection and treatment of infected persons.