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Millions of South Africans may already have latent TB, making awareness, early detection and appropriate treatment crucial to saving lives. Today, March 24, marks World TB Day and South Africans should take note that everyone can get TB, but the disease can be prevented and, in most cases, treatable, says Novartis South Africa.
"It is vitally important that people understand the disease, the risks and the reasons why they must complete the prescribed treatment."Says Dr. Chris Nathaniel, Medical Manager – Specialized Care: Southern Africa at Novartis SA. "By not being tested for TB, delaying treatment or not completing the prescribed treatment, people will expose themselves and their loved ones to danger."
This year's World TB Day theme is "It's time and calls for increased efforts to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis worldwide.
8 facts about TB
Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in South Africa, with 22,000 deaths from TB and 56,000 deaths from people living with HIV and TB in 2017 alone (1). In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 322,000 people in South Africa had active TB in 2017.
South Africa is one of the world's highest TB burden countries and was among the eight countries that accounted for 66% of new TB cases worldwide in 2017. Globally, Tuberculosis is the leading infectious killer and in 2017, about 10 million new TB cases were reported worldwide, including 5.8 million men, 3.2 million women, and 1 million children. . People living with HIV accounted for 9% of the total.
Up to 80% of South Africans could be infected with the TB bacteria
About a quarter of the world's population has latent tuberculosis, which means that people have been infected with the bacteria but are not (yet) suffering from the disease and can not transmit it. In South Africa, up to 80% of people could be infected with TB, and the highest prevalence of latent TB, estimated at 88%, was found in people aged 30 to 39 living in townships and informal settlements. Tuberculosis, or active TB, occurs when a person who has latent TB begins to show symptoms. Overall, about 5 to 10% of people with latent TB, who are not receiving treatment, develop active TB at some point in their life (2).
You could have latent TB and not know it for years
Latent TB can progress to active TB only years after infection, when a person's immune system is compromised for another cause, such as HIV, diabetes, and chronic kidney failure.
A cough is not the only symptom of tuberculosis
The symptoms of tuberculosis depend on the region of the infected body. If a person has a lung disease – tuberculosis in the lungs – then she may have a persistent cough, chest pain, blood or phlegm, weakness or fatigue, weight loss, lack of energy. appetite, chills, fever and a night sweats.
Tuberculosis can affect other parts of the body than the lungs, causing symptoms such as enlarged lymph nodes; bone and joint pain; vomiting, severe headache, light aversion, stiff neck and convulsions; abdominal pain, diarrhea and bleeding from the rectum; or blood in the urine. In children, TB can also cause stunting or weight loss.
TB is airborne
Tuberculosis is spread from person to person by air. When people with pulmonary TB cough, sneeze, or spit, they push the germs of TB into the air. According to WHO statistics, a person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
A person with active TB can infect up to 15 others in one year
When a person develops active TB, symptoms (such as cough, fever, night sweats or weight loss) may be mild for several months. This can lead to delays in seeking care and transmission of the bacteria to other people. People with active TB can infect another 10 to 15 people through close contact over the course of a year..
Failure to complete TB treatment causes more severe forms of TB
Anti-tuberculosis treatment usually includes six months of treatment. However, many people choose to stop taking their medications as soon as they start to feel better. This can result in adaptation of the remaining bacteria in the body and their resistance to drugs. Once a person has drug-resistant or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), new drugs, or combinations of drugs, must be administered. The resistant strains of tuberculosis can be transmitted to others, making the simplest treatments ineffective. XDR-TB is a form of tuberculosis resistant to at least four essential anti-TB drugs.
Tuberculosis treatment is available
Active and drug-sensitive TB is treated with a standard 6-month treatment of 4 antimicrobial drugs. The vast majority of TB cases can be cured when medications are provided and taken correctly. Globally, the treatment success rate for newly diagnosed TB patients was 82% in 2016. An effective diagnosis and treatment of TB saved 54 million lives worldwide in 2000 and 2017.
Who is the author?
Novartis is one of the world's leading manufacturers of drugs that uses innovative scientific and digital technologies to create transformational therapies in areas where medical needs are important. In their quest for new medicines, they regularly rank among the leading global companies investing in research and development.
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