There is so much talk about the swine flu lately that many people are unaware of how dangerous an airborne bacterium is that has been around for thousands of years. It kills at least two million people per year worldwide. That infection is called tubercle bacillus more commonly known as tuberculosis or TB.TB is airborne, which means an infected person with active TB can cough, sneeze, or spit on people around her/him and the chances of them becoming infected are greatly increased.
About six years ago I had come in contact with an infected person with TB. I had an exposure which means I had a reactive TB skin test. I took isoniazid, one of the recommended medications for the next nine months which greatly reduced the odds of my contracting active TB for the next two years. The classic symptoms of tuberculosis are a chronic cough with blood-tinged, sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.
Let us hope that the swine flu does not get put on the back burner for some other infection be it viral or bacterial. In 2007 Travis County had 55 new cases of TB and Texas had 1510 new cases.*
Let us hope that the swine flu does not get put on the back burner for some other infection be it viral or bacterial. In 2007 Travis County had 55 new cases of TB and Texas had 1510 new cases.*
World wide to date the swine flu has killed 5,000 people. Five thousand deaths so far from the swine flu compared to the more than two million deaths due to tuberculosis per year. Travis County had two TB deaths in 2008.
I have been exposed to TB and next week I will be getting my swine flu vaccine compliments of the City of Austin.
For more information on TB and the swine flu vaccine click on the following for the links.
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