By. Dr. Nneka Chukwurah

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. Any person can get TB. It is not a hereditary disease or a curse from the gods. TB, however, can be completely cured through treatment.

With appropriate treatment and care, even HIV can be changed from a fatal illness to a chronic disease that can be managed just like Hypertension, diabetes etc. TB patients, as well as people living with HIV, can live
healthy, normal and productive lives, yet many are stigmatized and discriminated against.

The discrimination and stigmatization leads to obstacles to accessing testing and treatment and adherence to treatment.

There is an adage which says that if you think that education is expensive, you should try ignorance.

Binta is a young girl who just gained admission into the school of nursing.

The institution requires Binta to undergo a series of medical tests and
examination. All the tests gave Binta a clean bill of health until the last result was released. The result had shown that Binta had Tuberculosis (TB). She had very little knowledge about TB, its cause or mode of transmission. On getting home, she informed her mother about the results of her tests including that she was said to have TB.

Her mother knew nothing about TB or its mode of transmission. She was not going to take any chances, she quickly swung into action and assigned Binta a plate, spoon and cup. She was not allowed to be seen even in the living room. She was discriminated upon by her own mother.

This made Binta miserable, lonely and she felt very much unloved.
The mother felt that was the best way to ensure that others in the family do not contract TB. This was a true story and one is tempted to ask if this is not happening today, even in our health facilities where health workers are stigmatized by their fellow health workers because they are working in the Directly Observed Treatment (DOTS)
centres.

Tuberculosis (TB) is disease caused by the bacteria known as Mycobacteria tuberculosis
TB is transmitted from a person with active TB disease to a susceptible person in airborne particles, called droplet nuclei. These are 1–5 microns in diameter. These infectious droplet nuclei are released when persons who have pulmonary or laryngeal
tuberculosis cough, sneeze, laugh, shout etc. These tiny droplet nuclei remain suspended in the air for up to several hours. TB, therefore is transmitted through the
air and not by surface contact. Touching, sharing of spoons, plates and cups cannot spread the infection. The commonest symptom of TB of the lungs is cough of two weeks or more. Other symptoms include weight loss, excessive night sweat, fever, loss
of appetite and hemoptysis.
TB can be prevented by carrying out infection control measures in the homes and health facilities including public places. Cough etiquettes (covering of mouth and nose)
while coughing and sneezing must be observed. Ventilation of our homes and health facilities is necessary to ensure that the contaminated air containing the TB bacilli is
replaced with clean air. General hygiene should also be observed particularly, hand washing. The best prevention is to ensure that diagnosed TB patients are placed on
daily DOT with standardized anti TB medicine for six months with monitoring of treatment.

Finally, everybody in the community should know that TB is caused by an agent known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most common symptom is cough of two weeks or
more. Transmission is by inhalation of bacilli expelled from TB patient when the patient coughs. TB can be prevented by observing cough etiquettes and ventilation of the homes and work places.

TB is treatable and curable with standardized anti TB medicines.

Treatment is free in Public Health Facilities.