All About Tuberculosis

What is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny

droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. It mainly affects the lungs, but it
can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous
system.

Chain of Infection 
1. What pathogen causes Tuberculosis? 
 Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
2. What is the reservoir of Tuberculosis?
 Tuberculosis can be spread from animals to people. The disease infects mammals.
3. What are the portals of exit from the reservoir? 
 Tuberculosis is a disease in which the germs can’t exit your system, but the body can
fight to stop the germs from growing and eventually make those germs inactive. 
4. How is Tuberculosis transmitted?
 It spreads when someone infected coughs or sneezes the bacteria into the air. 
5. Where does Tuberculosis enter the body from? 
 Tuberculosis enters the body when somebody breathes in the bacteria. When
someone with TB coughs, it’s bacteria spreads onto the air.
6. Who are susceptible hosts for the pathogen and the disease?
 People who are at risk of spreading Tuberculosis are those who have been recently
infected with the bacteria, people who have been in close contact with those infected
with TB, and people who work in areas such as the hospital, homeless shelters, and
etc. could easily spread the disease around.

Stages of Infection
1. How long is the incubation period?
 It depends on how bad the bacteria has spread through the lungs, so it could range
from 2 weeks to 12 weeks.
2. How long is the prodromal stage and what symptoms can be observed?
 Usually, it takes around 2 to 4 weeks until symptoms show. The symptoms someone
could have in the early stages of Tuberculosis are having a fever, fatigue, feeling like
your body hurts, or not feeling well in general.
3. How long can the person be ill and what are the specific symptoms?
 Symptoms could show for around 3 weeks until getting diagnosed. The common
symptoms of active Tuberculosis are a bad cough, chest pain, coughing up blood or
mucus, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
4. How long is the decline stage and when will the person get better after being
ill?
 Although it can take about 2 weeks of treatment until someone could be no longer
infectious, in order to kill the bacteria, one will have to take treatment for around 6
months. Usually after a couple of weeks, they will stop feeling tired and sick all the
time. But it is important to take the full course of treatment to ensure one’s health.