Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacterium and mainly targets the lungs, kidneys, bones, lymph nodes, and brain. It is commonly spread through sneezing or coughing, but other forms/strands of TB are spread by blood and not contained strictly within the immune system. These are called military and resemble more seed like pockets than the cavities TB usually creates in the lungs. Tuberculosis in the bones, commonly called Pott’s disease, eats away at the spine for example, making the bones incredibly thin and fragile, but also warped. The disease can also infect the urinary tract and body parts like fingers and the skin.
Finding strands of TB from ancient Egypt, the disease is known to have spread in waves throughout the world bringing an extreme death toll. Moving through America, it brought fears of dancing, spitting, and kissing, all which were thought to spread tuberculosis. Crowding, dirty streets, and living conditions of the impoverished were all see as factors that made contraction of TB more likely. For that reason, the streets were disinfected, women shortened their dresses so not to drag on the streets, and fresh air was used as a treatment for the inflicted, breaking them from the busy population and placing them in isolation. Now, there is less mass fear surrounding accidental contraction of the disease, but rather greater methods of treatment. For example, there are currently 10 drugs approved by the FDA to treat TB. There is a heavy emphasis on proper and full treatment in that the inflicted take the prescribed medication, or combination of medication, for the fully prescribed period. Failure to do this can lead to more drug resistant strands of the disease to form. Medical researchers are also concerned with targeting low income populations and those infected with HIV to better control the disease and possible new strands that could form from their contraction and lack of treatment. The Lancet Commission states that this effort of appealing to this social community, as well as the universal efforts to treat and diagnose the disease will aid in the effort to end tuberculosis all together. Only if the powerful parties contribute considerable aid and attention to researching the disease will the People’s Plague be ended once and for all.
Help Received: Class Powerpoint, provided articles and reading