March 19, 2020
How does your doctor diagnose and treat TB?
TB can be managed, but only if you follow treatment as instructed by your doctor.
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January 27, 2020
This form of TB cannot be treated!
Take your TB medication as prescribed or you may develop MDR TB.
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September 17, 2018
The differences between TB and pneumonia
These two conditions have similar symptoms, but they are very different! Here’s what you need to know. Signs and symptoms It's not possible to diagnose TB or pneumonia, without some investigations, like x-rays and sputum tests. They can look very similar, with coughing, weakness, and fever, but here are some of the main symptoms to look out for in each condition: Tuberculosis Pneumonia Chest pain, or pain with breathing and coughing Sweating A fever higher in the afternoon Chest pain Sweating excessively at night. Tiredness Night chills Shortness of breath Tiredness that gets worse as the day goes on Cough Weight…
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October 31, 2017
What exactly is TB? Here are the basics
In the past, TB was called ‘’consumption", because of the way it literally consumed infected people from the inside. Luckily for us, today TB is treatable. Here’s what you need to know about it. What is Tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. While it mostly affects the lungs, it can also affect organs in the central nervous system, lymphatic system, gastro-intestinal system and circulatory system. TB is classified as being either latent or active. Latent TB occurs when the bacteria are present in the body, but this state is inactive and presents no symptoms. Latent TB…
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August 11, 2017
Fever & coughing: is it just flu or could it be TB?
Earlier this year, there was an outbreak of drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Australia. It started when a doctor in Sydney misdiagnosed a student with asthma and lung cancer – before realising it was TB. Scary stuff! It’s understandable, though: TB shares symptoms with other conditions, such as flu, but they should be treated with completely different medications. TB is caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is easily spread when people with active lung disease expel the small airborne TB particles from their lungs into the air through coughing. Other people then breathe in the infectious droplets into their lungs, where…
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April 18, 2017
The cost of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium. It destroys parts of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, but can also spread to and attack the bones, joints and nervous system. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about one percent of our population develops TB disease each year. In South Africa the resistant strains of TB are on the increase. In fact, only five percent of TB is drug-resistant worldwide. This means that they are difficult to treat, time-consuming, and expensive. According to WHO, it can cost several hundred times more to treat drug-resistant TB…
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March 23, 2017
How to live better with TB
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis. It usually manifests and destroys parts of the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, but can also spread to and attack the bones, joints and nervous system. TB bacteria can live in the body for years without any symptoms or spreading to others. How TB is spread TB travels through the air. When a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks, droplets of the TB bacteria are released into the air. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.…
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March 1, 2016
Can we stop TB for good?
Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that takes away 1.5 million lives from us every year. 1.5 million is not just a number - it also represents a sister, a child, a mother or a friend that could have been saved. TB is preventable and curable, and it’s up us to fight it. The 24th of March is World TB Awareness day: so let's gear up our knowledge so we can win this war. (more…)
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March 24, 2015
Join us in the fight against TB!
Today is World TB Day – the focus is on a disease SA fights on a daily basis. Universities and organisations across South Africa and the world are in a constant battle to curb the spread of the TB. (more…)
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