Tuberculosis

The Saskatchewan Lung Association (2007) once said about tuberculosis “Over the centuries since Hippocrates, tuberculosis has been known as a major scourge of the human species.” During the first half of the 20th Century, TB was called "consumption" or "white plague", and it was the number one killer of Canadians. The historic menace of the "White Plague" prevailed for so many centuries because people had a poor understanding of the disease and poor medical tools with which to fight it. But, what exactly is tuberculosis?

Definition

Tuberculosis (TB), like the common cold, is an airborne virus. Though it appears in various forms, such as in the bone, the most widely known form is pulmonary tuberculosis, which is the infectious type (Wikipedia, 2007).

Risk factors

Anyone of any age, race or nationality can contract TB, but certain factors increase one’s risk of catching the disease. These factors include:

Lowered immunity: When one’s immune system is healthy, macrophages can often successfully wall off TB bacteria, but one’s body can't mount