By Katherine Hobson

More Cantaloupe Deaths: Eighteen people have now died from listeriosis linked to eating tainted cantaloupes, and the number of illnesses associated with the outbreak rose to 100, the WSJ reports. more illnesses are expected to emerge because it can take up to two months for symptoms to appear after infection, FDA head Margaret Hamburg said yesterday.

Additional Warning: the FDA said Roche’s cancer drug Avastin may cause ovarian failure in some women, the WSJ reports. A warning about the fertility problem was added to the drug’s label, as was updated information about the risk of blood clots and bleeding risk and new information about reports of jaw-bone decay.

Projected TB Deaths: Research published in the BMJ suggests that 40 million smokers could die from tuberculosis by 2050, most of them in Africa and the eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian areas of the world, BBC News reports. People who smoke are more vulnerable to TB.

A child presents symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis, namely a respiratory infection with a productive cough. Microscopic examination of the child's sputum reveals no acid-fast rods. however, examination of gastic washings reveals the presence of both acid-fast and non-acid-fast bacilli. do you think the child has active tuberculosis? explain.

This one is for a story I'm writing. I'm looking for any STD that shreds lungs, pretty much. If it can be a long, drawn out process (or at least one that can lie dormant for a while) that would be great. Husband dies in a close proximity to wife, tuberculosis is assumed. Three years later, the daughter and her spouse are admitted to the hospital for bloody pleural effusion. The story ends with the daughter being discovered to have been molested by her father shortly before his death. only problem is that as far as I know, there are no STDs that actually do this. any ideas?

Troops in Venezuela surrounded a jail where inmateswere holding 22 hostages, including the prison director, to protest against an alleged tuberculosis outbreak.

National guard units with helmets and shields blocked access to the Rodeo II prison in Guatire, just outside the capital Caracas, as officials attempted to negotiate a peaceful end to the two-day siege.

Prisoners seized the director, Luis Aranguren, and 21 other officials on Wednesday after an inmate with tuberculosis-type symptoms was taken to another jail for medical tests.

They demanded a medical inspection of the facility, which holds 1,200 inmates in cramped cells, and complained that their warnings of a possible epidemic over the past four months had been ignored even after the disease allegedly killed an inmate.

The deputy interior minister, Edwin Rojas, was due to visit the jail to talk to the hostages and try to broker an end to the stand-off without bowing to what authorities called kidnap pressure.

Holding hostages was “not the most adequate way” to make grievances known, said Rojas. The prisoner who was removed for medical tests had pneumonia, not tuberculosis, and a medical team was on stand-by to enter the jail once hostages were freed, the minister added.

“We believe in peaceful dialogue, in peaceful coexistence and the respect of human rights, not only of the prisoners but also of those who work in the prison system.”

The prisoners, in messages sent via their families, said they feared reprisals and wanted guarantees for their safety. Relatives were due to read on TV a letter from prisoner leaders elaborating on demands and grievances.

The government has promised to build new, humane prisons but most of Venezuela’s 48,000 inmates languish in old, degraded facilities. Humberto Prado, head of the Prisons Observatory watchdog, said the system was designed to hold only 12,500. Conditions are primitive and violence is rife, with hundreds killed every year.

In a tacit pact with authorities some gangs had started strangling rivals, rather than shooting or stabbing them, so the deaths could be registered as suicide, Prado wrote in the newspaper Tal Cual.

Carlos Nieto, head of another watchdog group, A Window for Freedom, said the fact a mass hostage taking could last for days showed that prisoners rather than authorities controlled jails.

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/29/prisoners-hostage-tb-venezuela

Posted on April 17, 2011, Sunday

SANDAKAN: Public or private health centres should play their role in detecting and controlling any initial spread of malaria and tuberculosis.

“As they are a public health problem, early detection becomes a priority in treating the diseases,” said Libaran member of parliament Datuk Juslie Ajirol when officiating at the Sandakan-level World Tuberculosis Day and Malaria Day celebration at Taman Cahaya, Mile 12, yesterday.

He said statistics showed that each year around the world, nine million people were infected with TB virus while two million had died from contracting the disease.

Juslie said TB cases in Malaysia were usually detected late or on a serious level as people prefer to seek traditional treatment rather than the effective modern medicine.

He said general and private medical centres play a vital role as their efforts coincide with the theme “Mobile to prevent Tuberculosis … Transformation towards the Elimination” in which it is important to educate the community on the disease.

“It is sad to hear that there are still individuals seeking medical advice from a traditional medical practitioner over symptoms such as blood coughing, weight loss and loss of appetite.

“It is important for patients with the symptoms to undergo proper diagnosis and treatment,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said malaria is a disease caused by the “plasmodium” parasite that spreads through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito parasites (sporozoites).

“This disease can lead to complications such as liver and kidney dysfunctional and destroy red blood cells,” he said.

Juslie said malaria is a disease that can be prevented, treated and controlled with the increasing use of mosquito nets and other proven interventions as a part of the integrated community-based programmes.

Today is World Tuberculosis Day. every year on March 24th, the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership (STP) has chosen this date to create awareness about tuberculosis (TB). Historically, this date was also the birthday of when Dr. Robert Koch discovered the bacteria, tuberculosis bacillus as the cause of this deadly disease in 1882.

With more than 100 years since the discovery of TB, it still remains an epidemic in much of the world today. Tuberculosis is the world’s seventh-leading cause of death. 1.8 million people died from tuberculosis last year, and it is estimated that three people died from TB every minute. it is one of three most deadly diseases that affect the underprivileged, with the other two being AIDS and malaria.

This year’s theme is “On the move against Tuberculosis” with the goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2015. besides leveraging on more resources at all levels to accelerate the fight against tuberculosis, STP aims to promote this day as a day of inspiration for both individuals and companies to participate in their action plan.

to achieve their goal, they are seeking the public to help them:

• Find new and Better Tools to Fight Tuberculosis

  More resources must be allocated to turn scientific discoveries into new and better drugs, diagnostics and vaccines. it is also essential to increase the availability, accessibility and efficiency of tuberculosis services to the masses. according to the report, there were calls for commitment of US$ 1.1 billion for tuberculosis research in 2010, but there was a US$ 0.6 billion funding shortfall. With nearly two million people dying from tuberculosis annually, such research cannot be relegated to the backseat.

• Forge new and Stronger Partnerships to Reach the Global Targets

  With only 5 years to go before the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to combat tuberculosis, it is important that innovative approaches are put in place in the most efficient manner. all stakeholders, such as drug manufacturers, donors, public health officials need to collaborate and accelerate in making these new medical breakthroughs a standard of care as quickly as possible in order to meet the MDG target to stop TB.

We are optimistic that the MDG goal of stopping tuberculosis can be realized by 2015, as long as individuals take the initiative to seek treatment upon suffering symptoms, and researchers continue to source for better treatments for patients worldwide.

Tuberculosis is a contagious respiratory disease. it is akin to the common cold as it spreads through the air when infectious people cough, sneeze, talk or spit. a person needs only to inhale a small amount of airborne germs to be infected. You don’t get TB through physical contact, such as touching the clothes or shaking the hands of someone who is infected. Instead, TB is spread primarily from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.

Tuberculosis is generally classified as being either latent or active. Latent TB occurs when the bacteria are present in the body, but they are inactive. Hence, latent TB is not contagious. Infected people may not feel ill or show any symptoms if their immune system can keep the bacteria under control. their chest X-ray even looks normal, so the only way to diagnose is through skin test or tuberculosis blood test.

Fortunately, latent TB is curable and can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing active TB. Treatment with isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide for first two months, followed by isoniazid and rifampicin for four months has known to be successful.

In fact, being infected by latent TB is not uncommon. according to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 2 billion people in the world are currently infected with it. however, only about 5% – 10% will become sick with active TB at some time in their lives, usually within two years of the infection. People living with HIV are at a much higher risk. The vast majority of TB deaths are in the developing world, with majority of them happened in Asia as a third of new cases come from India and China.

Tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs, but it can also affect organs in the central nervous system, lymphatic system and circulatory system. When a person becomes infected with tuberculosis, the bacteria in the lungs would multiply and usually cause a local lung infection called pneumonia.

Common symptoms of pulmonary TB are

• a cough that lasts for more than two weeks
• blood stains when coughing
• feeling weak or fatigue
• fever
• loss of appetite
• pain in the chest
• sweating at night
• unexplained weight loss

if you have these symptoms, please seek medical attention immediately. an early stage of TB is curable. go to a local communicable disease centre (CDC) for tuberculosis testing now!

You can play a part to help prevent the spread of tuberculosis by:

• covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze
• not spitting on the ground
• seeking treatment if you suspect you have tuberculosis symptoms
• ventilating your houses, offices or other enclosed areas by allowing the movement of fresh air
• washing your hands frequently especially when you have been around people suffering from chronic coughs
• wearing a mask when you go to crowded public areas

Given the widespread of latent TB around the world, it is important to keep yourself fit and healthy knowing that the onset of active TB only triggers when your immune system is weak. You can keep yourself in the top condition by having a balanced diet daily, exercising regularly and abstaining from alcohol, drugs and smoking. For more tips on how you can have a healthy lifestyle, you can always refer to “How to start a Healthy Lifestyle?” article.

Share and Enjoy:

Whenever I spit out phlegms, there's a blood in it. My throat hurts, I cough a lot. Difficulty on breathing. I'm struggling right now and I don't know what to do. I think my asthma has gotten severe and it turned into tuberculosis.

what are the symptoms for tuberculosis

how old do you have to be to get a tb shot?
and how many do you have to have?

The TB shot is called BCG and its given one time at birth in some countries to prevent TB in children. it mostly protects against meningeal TB. In the US we don't use it because TB isn't common.

TB symptoms are weight loss, loss of appetite, coughing or productive coughing (sputum comes out), fever, and night sweats.

I've just been to the doctors because i'm coughing up phlegm, waking up in the night in a cold sweat & feeling generally feverish & run down.
He examined my chest & said it sounded all good & healthy.
However, 2 years ago I worked with a child who had severe Tuberculosis. so the doctor said he would consult a specialist TB nurse & let me know what she recommends.
Are there any medical people on here tonight who know anything about TB, and do you think i'm wasting their time when the doctor has said my chest seems fine? thank you.

Go back and ask for a chest Xray.

Better safe than sorry. I think you should get checked out.

European researchers develop test to pinpoint TB

A group of European researchers have developed a test that can diagnose active tuberculosis (TB) in people even when traditional tests have failed. the findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The research team, the Tuberculosis Network European Trialsgroup (TBNET), a scientific consortium founded in 2006 to research new methods of TB diagnosis, used the ELISPOT (enzyme-linked immunospot assay) test to develop the new method. they found that immune cells that are specific to TB bacilli are concentrated in the airways of patients who have active tuberculosis. these cells can be identified quickly using the ELISPOT test. the test can distinguish between latent TB infection, known as lasting tuberculosis immune responses (LTBI), and active TB by comparing the frequencies of TB-specific lymphocytes in the blood with those in the lung.

About a third of the world’s population is infected with the mycobacterium that causes TB but only about 10% to 20% of those will go on to develop the disease. the others have LTBI which can develop into TB at any time.

Sputum testing has traditionally been used for TB diagnosis: when TB bacilli show up on sputum tests, a positive diagnosis of TB can be established quickly. unfortunately, in about 50% of these tests the TB bacilli cannot be identified so a more accurate method is needed.

Dr Christoph Lange from the Research Center Borstel Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences in Germany, who led the TBNET research, said: in this study we showed that a differentiation between active pulmonary tuberculosis and LTBI is possible by using the ELISPOT test.

TB spreads quickly because it is disseminated through the air when infected people sneeze, spit or talk. It is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide and its incidence is rising again after a period of decline from the 1960s when the successful use of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine led to a decline in the disease. TB usually attacks the lungs but other parts of the body can be affected too including the spine and the circulatory system.

To test the ELISPOT method, the TBNET researchers recruited 347 patients who were believed to have TB, but were either unable to produce sputum or had had 3 negative sputum tests. the ELISPOT test was performed using bronchoaveolar lavage (BAL, a method in which fluid is squirted into the lung and then withdrawn for analysis).

Of the 347 patients, 71 were diagnosed with active pulmonary TB and the results for patients with active TB were accurate in 91.5% of cases.

‘these findings show us that positive results in the BAL ELISPOT were highly indicative of actual cases of active TB,’ Dr Lange said. ‘A negative BAL ELISPOT result almost excludes active tuberculosis.

‘Future research about the immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis will need to identify indicators of treatment success that will allow safe discontinuation of anti-tuberculosis therapy without an increased risk of the reactivation,’ he pointed out. ‘This will be of great clinical importance to guide the treatment of individuals with LTBI and active tuberculosis, especially in cases of drug-resistant strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis.’

Dr Lange also pointed out that in 2008 a 27-institution consortium was established in Europe for the study of drug resistant tuberculosis (tbpannet.eu/>) and was granted EUR 12 million by the EU. the result is the TB PAN-NET (Pan-European network for the study and clinical management of drug resistant tuberculosis) project, supported by the Health Thematic area of the EUs Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).