TUBERCULOSIS

Until quite recently, the very word would strike alarm with generations of people who had experienced relatives struck down by TB or ‘consumption’, as it was known. One only needs to look through the works of Thomas Hardy or Dickens to have some idea of how prevalent it was. The industrial revolution encouraged the spread of TB, which tended to affect the poor, females, and the young housed in unsanitary, poorly-designed, and over-crowded urban conditions or else in damp rural areas.

However, almost 3,000 people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in London in 2013 and 7,892 were diagnosed in the country as a whole. It can affect anybody, but it is still often vulnerable people with social problems living in poor housing conditions who are most at risk.

TB is a bacterial infection spread by inhaling tiny drops of sneezes or coughs of an infected person. It is a serious condition but can be cured with proper treatment. This treatment can be quite protracted, and it is essential that people complete the full course of treatment.

TB mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the glands, bones, and nervous system. It is important that anybody with persistent cough, nights sweats, and unexplained weight loss consult a medical professional.