What is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that drastically influences ones respiratory system. Tuberculosis has many nicknames to include: consumption, TB, and the white plague. Consumption has existed in humans since as early as 3000-2400 BC. It is mostly found in the lungs where oxygen and blood fuel the disease, but can be found in other parts of the body as well. There are two known forms of TB. There is that of Pulmonary in which the infection is mainly in ones lungs and chest, affecting their breathing. The other known form is that of Extrapulmonary, which spreads to other parts of the body such as the central nervous system, lymphatic system, as well as the bones and joints. This highly infectious disease is typically transmitted when infected individuals cough, speak, sneeze, spit or even smile, thus releasing the disease into the air. It is said to create encapsulated tubes inside ones lungs causing them to have excessive pulmonary issues. While TB is highly contagious, it does not affect everyone the same way. According to experts only about 10% of humans with consumption will ever show active signs of the disease. Consumption was responsible for a large amount of deaths in the early 1900's when it spread fast throughout the United States of America, killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Symptoms of Tuberculosis

• Coughing
• Coughing with mucus/blood
• Low grade fever
• Night sweats
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite

Spreading
Tuberculosis is highly contagious and can be spread in multiple different ways.

Transmitted through the air by:

• Coughing
• Laughing
• Speaking
• Sneezing
• Spitting

Other ways that it can be transmitted:

• Body fluids to include saliva, mucus and blood
• Items touched by infected individual

Cure
In 1946, TB found the cure it needed with the development of antibiotics. During the 1900's, mainly that of antibiotic streptomycin was used to cure patients.

Where is TB today?
In 1980 consumption resurfaced with a vengeance. Unfortunately, present forms of TB have shown different symptoms as well as forms that are not being cured with today’s antibiotics. The disease is forming a tolerance for antibiotics and in turn those antibiotics are not doing what they have done in the past to heal TB patients. The disease is carefully being monitored for its ability to spread and individuals that are affected are kept quarantined to avoid spreading, as it killed so many in the 1900's.