Also known as consumption, tuberculosis or TB is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria. It attacks the lungs and respiratory system, but can also attack the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system,
bones, joints and even the
skin.
Symptoms include chest pains, coughing
blood, prolonged coughing, chills, night sweats, pallor, lose of appetite, weight lose, and
easy fatigue. Though tuberculosis is not known for being especially contagious, it can be rather easy to transmit, since TB is spread through infected aerosols via coughing, spitting, speaking, kissing, and sneezing. Tuberculosis attacks everybody differently. While it can take months to years for the TB infection to become the TB disease in some
people, it can easily become the full flight disease in some
people in a matter of weeks.
If left untreated, TB causes
death. (duh)
Since tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria, treatment is available via antibiotics, though there is currently no vaccine for adults.
Due to medicial attention toward HIV and
AIDS, tuberculosis has resurged.
