| Tuberculosis is an infection that often can become | | | | scientists still aren't sure of is how tuberculosis |
| deadly. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria known | | | | developed over the past thousands of years. They |
| as mycobacteria. Tuberculosis can attack the lungs, | | | | aren't sure if it developed from cattle and then |
| the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, | | | | spread to humans or if it spread from an ancestor to |
| the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the | | | | other humans and then animals. |
| gastrointestinal system, bones, joints and the skin at | | | | The very first doctor to identify tuberculosis as a |
| times. The specific name of the bacteria that causes | | | | contagious disease was Ibn Sina in the 1020s. He |
| tuberculosis is mycobacteria tuberculosis. Symptoms | | | | wrote "The Canon of Medicine." He is also responsible |
| of the disease are a chronic cough, blood in the | | | | for developing the method of quarantine to avoid the |
| phlegm, night sweats, fever and unexplained weight | | | | spread of the disease or any other contagious |
| loss. Tuberculosis can be spread through the air very | | | | disease. There was thought at one point that |
| easily. People with the disease can send the disease | | | | tuberculosis would be eradicated across the globe |
| through the air when they cough, spit or sneeze. | | | | because the number of cases was beginning to drop |
| There are a variety of tests that doctors need to | | | | appreciably. In 1987, cases of tuberculosis in Great |
| perform before diagnosing tuberculosis. They include | | | | Britain numbered 5,000 after numbering 117,000 in |
| a chest x-ray, tuberculin skin tests, blood tests and a | | | | 1913. But then in 2000 the number of cases rose |
| microscopic examination and microbiological cultures | | | | again to 6,300 and the number rose again in 2005 to |
| of body fluids. Treating tuberculosis is a difficult | | | | 7,600. |
| process for doctors and patients. It entails various | | | | The recent rise in tuberculosis cases, especially in the |
| antibiotics. Sometimes there are strains of | | | | 1980s, is somewhat credited to the rise in HIV and |
| tuberculosis that can be resistant to antibiotics. | | | | patients with tuberculosis not finishing their medicine |
| Preventing tuberculosis involves screenings and | | | | or treatment regimens assigned by a doctor. People |
| getting oneself vaccinated against the disease. | | | | would be heading back to the workplace and other |
| Tuberculosis is a disease that has been affecting not | | | | public places before being completely healed of the |
| only human beings but also animals for over 18,000 | | | | condition and would begin to infect others by |
| years. Mummies entombed in Egypt have been | | | | coughing, sneezing and spitting the contagious strain |
| examined and it has been scientifically proven that | | | | into the air around them. |
| some of those mummies, when alive, were infected | | | | As of right now it looks as if tuberculosis will never |
| with the disease as evidenced by remnants of it in | | | | be eradicated on a worldwide stage because of the |
| their spine. Scientists have also found strains of | | | | development of drug-resistant strains. This makes it |
| tuberculosis in the remains of bison that date back to | | | | difficult for doctors to treat their patients because |
| 18,000 years before the present date. The one thing | | | | antibiotics will not do the trick in curing the disease. |