The rising number of tuberculosis infections around the world is raising concern among health experts.
Previously ranked among diseases closely linked to poverty like HIV/Aids and malaria, experts say the highly contagious TB is now spreading fast among all people including the elite.
“Everyone is at risk provided they breathe the same oxygen as everyone else,” says Ann Kathure, the provincial TB and leprosy co-ordinator in Nairobi, adding that anybody who develops symptoms must seek medical attention immediately to lessen the risk of infecting others.
According to World Health Organisation, if untreated, persons suffering from TB could infect an average of 10-15 people annually.
The organisation also notes that a third of the world’s population is infected with latent TB but only one out of every 10 people develops active TB in their lifetime.
TB is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
It is transmitted through respiratory droplets from a person with active TB through coughing, sneezing, talking or spitting.
Common symptoms include a persistent cough that lasts more than two weeks, weight loss, fever, excessive night sweats, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Since TB is airborne, living in crowded quarters and travelling in crowded vehicles without proper ventilation pose a great risk of infection.
According to Dr Kathure, about 50 per of those who do not seek treatment die in two years. This however, depends on a person’s level of immunity and lifestyle.
Excessive alcohol intake and smoking can also harm the body’s immune system and increase the risk of acquiring TB.
The cigarette smoke destroys the lungs making them susceptible to infection, while alcohol produces an overall nutritional deficiency, depriving the body of valuable immune-boosting nutrients.
Alcohol, like sugar, if consumed in excess can reduce the ability of white cells to kill germs.
“The fact that most alcohol drinkers do it in crowded bars and social places increases their risk of contracting TB,” notes Dr Kathure.
In the past three decades, HIV/Aids has emerged among the greatest risk factors that expose one to TB.
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