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Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that has claimed the lives of many people. this is why its management calls for serious prevention and management techniques.
Physicians stress the importance of safe methods of TB control, noting that it is important for patients with the disease to avoid coughing and sneezing in public places.
It is therefore advisable to cover your nose and mouth with your forearm when coughing or sneezing; this is essential to prevent transmission of the TB virus to another person.
In addition, as with covering the mouth and nose, doctors recommend not to spit on the floor, as this may also facilitate the transmission of the disease. When you have a TB patient, it's a good idea to always open doors and windows every day to allow adequate ventilation.
Experts say these are simple vital practices that people should take to stop and prevent the spread of this contagious disease.
Focus on TB cases
Every year, about 6,000 people have a positive test for TB and 99% of them start an immediate treatment, according to Rwanda Biomedical Center information.
However, officials said that there were still TB patients who were not taking their medications as they had been prescribed and who were not recovering.
Rwanda Biomedical Center statistics show that 20% of TB patients do not seek treatment at the hospital and end up infecting other members of their community.
About 88% of those on treatment recover, 8% of them die and 3% of them do not recover. They undergo a new treatment and 2% do not undergo any treatment.
The prevalence of tuberculosis is higher in children under 15 due to their weak immune system; it is also high among prisoners and the elderly.
Dr. Vianney Byiringiro Rusisiro, director of the Tuberculosis Infection Control Unit at RBC, explains that tuberculosis is an infectious and contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that usually affects the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis).
He says the mycobacterium of tuberculosis is a bacterial agent that can also affect other parts of the body (extrapulmonary tuberculosis).
According to him, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not mean that the person should suffer immediately from tuberculosis.
"A person can be infected with this bacteria but not have TB. Indeed, some conditions may be needed for the infection to turn into TB, "he says.
He adds that this happens especially when the immune response decreases in the body.
Dr. Yves Habimana Mucyo, director of drug resistance at RBC (MDR), explains that the general symptoms of tuberculosis are chronic cough, persistent fever, night sweats and weight loss.
In the case of an infection affecting other organs, this can then cause a wide range of other symptoms, he says.
He notes, however, that there is a type of tuberculosis called multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. This, he explains, is the type that can not be cured by usual first-line treatment and usually requires second-line treatment.
He also claims that being exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not necessarily mean getting TB in the following days.
He explains that the risk of infection increases with the density of the population, which is particularly high for people sharing confined and poorly ventilated housing (with a contagious patient) as well as in prisons and boarding schools.
"The risk of infection depends on the number of contagious cases in the community and the length of time these cases remain contagious. The frequency, proximity and duration of contacts between susceptible people and infectious cases, as well as the immune response of individuals, also matter, "he said.
TB and HIV
According to Rusisiro, smear-positive pulmonary TB cases are the most contagious and, if left untreated, can infect an average of 10 to 15 people per year.
"The risk of infection in a patient with smear-negative pulmonary TB is low, but it's not zero if the culture is positive," he says.
He says that 90% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop tuberculosis if they are not infected with HIV.
"HIV infection is the main factor facilitating the progression of tuberculosis. To do this, it will reactivate a latent TB infection or cause the disease in the first place. This is particularly the case in people living with HIV and infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, "he said.
According to him, other risk factors include malnutrition, sequelae (a condition resulting from an illness or an earlier injury); in this case, a previous case of untreated tuberculosis, diabetes, corticosteroid therapy, physical or emotional stress, smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol.
He says that poverty, however, is still strongly badociated with TB.
He explains that it is because poverty promotes promiscuity and consequently the transmission of contagious diseases.
"Poverty can also limit access to care, which prolongs the period of infectiousness and increases the risk of infection for those around the patient," he adds.
Prevention
Patrick Migambi, head of the Tuberculosis Division at RBC, says that an early diagnosis of tuberculosis as well as the immediate initiation of treatment prevent the spread or transmission of mycobacterium tuberculosis.
He notes that all people who have been coughing for more than two weeks, fever, weight loss, asthenia, among others, should consult the nearest health center for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
He also says that when a TB patient takes his treatment regularly and completely, he stops transmitting the disease to other uninfected people.
Treatment
Rusisiro says that because TB is transmitted through the air, it is easy to pbad it on to someone who coughs, sneezes, spits or talks.
He notes that, if people are aware of the signs of TB, it becomes easier to seek prompt consultation and diagnosis in any health facility in the country.
It notes that the Rwandan Government, through the Ministry of Health, has provided tuberculosis diagnostic facilities and facilities and has provided free treatment for all cases of tuberculosis diagnosed.
The duration of treatment, he says, depends on the form / type of TB disease. For example, the form of tuberculous meningitis or bone tuberculosis requires a treatment duration of 9 to 12 months; while the form of pulmonary tuberculosis requires 6 months of treatment and the person will be completely cured.
"The patient diagnosed with TB must demonstrate compliance and follow the advice and guidance provided by health personnel for appropriate treatment," he said.
Regarding the treatment of tuberculosis, he said that drugs are given to the patient either by the health staff or by the community health worker on a daily basis.
He added that tuberculosis treatment is free and that anyone with signs of TB should go to the nearest health center to get the help they need.
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