World Tuberculosis Day: Lesser known facts about tuberculosis

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: March 23, 2020 03:22 PM2020-03-23T15:22:07+5:302020-03-23T15:47:22+5:30

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TB doesn't just affect the Lungs - While TB is known primarily as a pulmonary (lung) disease, it can also affect other parts of the body, including the kidneys, brain, and spine.

There Is a Vaccine against TB - The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is recommended for healthy babies, to be administered as soon as possible after they're born.

Most infectious disease - TB ranks alongside HIV/AIDS as the world most deadly infectious disease

Recovery Span - TB is both preventable and curable. However, full recovery requires at least six months of consistent administering of special TB drugs

TB Is an airborne disease - TB is spread through expelled droplets, every time an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits. Anyone who breathes in these particles is susceptible to an infection.

First vaccination - In 1921, the first patient was vaccinated after a long 13 years in making.

Smokers are more likely to contract TB - Smokers are more than twice more likely to contract TB, while alcoholics and diabetics are also at a greater risk than the general population.