For World Tuberculosis Day, they reminded why this infection remains dangerous and how it spreads by airborne droplets. The material covers risk factors, early symptoms, and the importance of timely chest X rays and the BCG vaccine. It also notes that if detected early, tuberculosis is successfully treated and the patient stops being contagious.

World Tuberculosis Day has been observed by decision of the World Health Organization every year since March 24, 1982. The date was chosen for a reason. It was on March 24, 1882, that the German microbiologist Robert Koch announced his discovery of the tuberculosis pathogen. In 1905, the scientist received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. This is reported in a press release prepared by the Department of Health and Social Assistance to the Population of the administration of the city of Irkutsk.
In 1993, the World Health Organization declared tuberculosis a national disaster. It is an infectious disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets. To become infected, a person only needs to inhale a small amount of bacteria spread by a patient with an open pulmonary form of tuberculosis when coughing, sneezing, or talking.
Doctors note that the human respiratory system is protected from the penetration of mycobacteria, but inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, and large bronchi, as well as exposure to toxic substances, makes it possible for mycobacteria to penetrate the bronchioles and alveoli, after which the likelihood of infection and developing tuberculosis increases significantly.
A person can carry mycobacteria in their body for a long time and even for life. A large number of mycobacteria disrupts immune defense, and when it is weakened, there is a threat of activation of the remaining mycobacteria and the development of tuberculosis.
Immunity to mycobacteria decreases in diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer disease, alcohol abuse and prolonged drug use, in AIDS, as well as during starvation, stressful situations, pregnancy, treatment with hormones or immunosuppressants.
Overall, the risk of developing tuberculosis in a newly infected person is about 8% in the first 2 years after infection, gradually decreasing in subsequent years.
Without appropriate treatment, each person with active tuberculosis can infect an average of 10-15 people annually.
Most often, tuberculosis affects the organs of the respiratory system (mainly the lungs and bronchi), but other organs may also be affected.
Tuberculosis of the digestive, genitourinary, and central nervous systems, tuberculosis of the bones, skin, and eyes are distinguished.
Pulmonary tuberculosis can remain asymptomatic for a long time and be discovered accidentally during fluorography or a chest X-ray. The first symptoms are weakness, pallor, increased fatigue, lethargy, apathy, low-grade fever (about 37 °C, rarely above 38°), sweating, especially troubling the patient at night, and weight loss. Enlargement of lymph nodes is often detected. Anemia is found in the blood of patients.
The main prevention of tuberculosis today is the BCG vaccine. In accordance with the “National Immunization Schedule,” it is administered in the maternity hospital, if there are no contraindications, in the first 3—7 days of a child’s life. At 7 years of age, with a negative Mantoux test and no contraindications, revaccination is carried out.
In order to detect tuberculosis at an early stage, adults need to undergo fluorographic screening at the polyclinic at least once a year.
With early detection of tuberculosis and completion of a full course of treatment, sick people quickly become non-contagious and eventually recover.
Based on materials from the press service of the administration of Irkutsk.