New Delhi: To think that tuberculosis (TB) is a poor man's disease is possibly the biggest myth surrounding the illness. March 24 is observed as World TB day and here are some "myth shattering" facts we should all know:
Myth one: Only the poor suffer from TB.
Fact: The one thing that both the rich and the poor share, is the air they breathe. And when a TB patient coughs, "all" the people around him are at risk of inhaling the germs he breathes out.
If one in two of us inside a room is TB infected chances are the other can catch the disease as well. Though the chances are less of being infected if you are outdoors as the sunlight destroys the germs.
Myth two: TB is a hereditary disease or transmitted genetically from parent to offspring.
Fact: TB is neither genetic nor a hereditary disease. Few risk factors that make one more prone
to suffer TB are:
- Undernourishment and low immunity.
- Alcoholism or drug addictions.
- Diabetes.
- Reckless self-medication with steroids.
- HIV infection.
Only 10 per cent of those who are exposed to TB germs get the disease. If your immune system is strong enough your body can easily resist the infection.
Myth three: Coughing is the only symptom of TB.
Fact: TB can have several other symptoms such as:
- Fever.
- Night Sweating.
- Weight Loss.
- No appetite.
- Weakness and Fatigue.
"TB occurs commonly in the lungs but it can affect any other organ. Children especially have TB of the cervical glands. TB can also occur in the bones, joints and abdomen. Intestinal TB is also common form of TB. Besides that, TB can occur in liver, kidney, and urinary tract. Genital TB is very common so is the dreaded brain TB," TB specialist, Dr Raman Kakar says.
TB treatment is not very expensive. In India, the total cost for a complete six-month-course of drugs is Rs 1, 680 approximately. Moreover, gone are the days when every TB patient would be exiled to a sanatorium.
Trials conducted by the Tuberculosis Research Center at Chennai have shown that home treatment is equally effective and poses no risk to the family members.
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