Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs. Compared with other diseases caused by a single infectious agent, tuberculosis is the second biggest killer, globally.

Causes:

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium causes TB. It is spread through the air when a person with TB (whose lungs are affected) coughs, sneezes, spits, laughs, or talks.
TB is contagious, but it is not easy to catch. The chances of catching TB from someone you live or work with are much higher than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who have received appropriate treatment for at least 2 weeks are no longer contagious.

Symptoms of tuberculosis

While latent TB is symptomless, the symptoms of active TB include the following:

• Coughing, sometimes with mucus or blood
• Chills
• Fever
• Loss of weight
• Loss of appetite
• Night sweats
• Fatigue

  Prevention:

  A few general measures can be taken to prevent the spread of active TB.
  Avoiding other people by not going to school or work, or sleeping in the same room as someone, will help to minimize the risk of germs from reaching anyone else. Wearing a mask, covering the mouth, and ventilating rooms can also limit the spread of bacteria.