Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs, transmitted through air droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze. Those at higher risk include infants, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems or poor nutrition. Symptoms can range from coughing and weight loss to more severe complications, and the disease can be dormant for years, sometimes leading to serious health issues if not treated.

1. TUBERCULOSIS INDUSMED LOGO

2. WHAT IS TB? Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs, but may spread to other organs

3. BACTERIA L arge domain of single-celled microorganisms Bacterial populations can double as quickly as every 9.8 minutes

4. How does it enter you? You can get TB (bacteria) by breathing in air droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person. This is called primary TB.

6. WHO IS AT RISK: INFANTS

7. ELDERLY

8. IMMUNE SUPRESSED IMMUNE SUPRESSED - HIV - LUPUS - CHEMO - DIABETES

9. MALNUTRITION - Unbalanced diet - under weight - anorexia nervosa

10. SYMPTOMS · Cough (usually cough up mucus) · Coughing up blood · Excessive sweating, especially at night · Fatigue · Fever · Unintentional weight loss Other symptoms that may occur with this disease: · Breathing difficulty · Chest pain · Wheezing

11. COUGH

12. WEIGHT LOSS

13. Night sweat

14. WHY TAKE TB SERIOUS

15. PERMANENT DAMAGE

16. CONTAGIOUS YOU CAN INFECT YOUR OWN CHILDREN

17. INCUBATION PERIOD The length of TB incubation varies depending on individual risk factors. Within six weeks of being exposed, an infected person develops a primary infection in the lungs, which may have no symptoms. The disease then enters a dormant phase that can last weeks to years.

18. WHAT THEN People with healthy immune systems can stay infected for years before developing an active TB infe ction. Those with compromised immune systems due to HIV or other conditions (bad nutrition, for example), the elderly and the very young may develop an active TB infection much sooner. In these cases, the body may not be able to contain TB to the lungs. TB may then affect bones and joints, internal organs and even the eyes and skin.

19. SCREENING