Descriptive epidemiology - tuberculosis

BHS210-Module 3 SLP: Descriptive epidemiology- tuberculosis
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Introduction
The descriptive epidemiological approach for tuberculosis (TB) takes into account incidences and prevalence of tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis is a contagious airborne infection that mainly spreads in crowded and unsanitary conditions. Even though, tuberculosis mostly affects the developing countries, there are incidences of the infection in the U.S., whereby people with weakened immunity are at a higher risk of tuberculosis infection. Person-to-person transmission is the most common route through which people get infected especially through sneezing and coughing. In order to categorize various cases of tuberculosis, data collected will focus on the very low category, low, medium, high and very high prevalence rates depending on location. Hence, housing, age and data for gender will provide vital information pertaining to the tuberculosis epidemic.
Pattern and distribution of tuberculosis
The prevalence of tuberculosis mostly affects older men, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS. This is not unexpected in the U.S. since individuals who are immune compromised like the elderly are at a higher risk of tuberculosis. These patterns are replicated across many areas, with smokers, pregnant women and those in contact with people suffering form tuberculosis also at a risk. There are gender differences among suffers of tuberculosis, but HIV-positive men and women were at a high risk. Smoking and pregnancy has only limited effect on tuberculosis, but there is a need to carry out more studies which highlight on the determinants of tuberculosis between male and female TB sufferers.
Another important aspect of determining the pattern of TB is to focus more on the demographic characteristics of the communities at high risk of TB, or areas where people are reported to suffer from TB in New York City. Being a cosmopolitan city, there are diverse people from different nationalities. People from different countries of origin especially the emerging and developing countries are at a higher risk if they come into account with immigrants from their home countries. Foreign-born persons are at a higher risk of TB than U.S. born citizens, blacks were also at a higher risk than non Hispanic Whites. Ethnic/racial minorities and the foreign born population are affected more by tuberculosis, and hence testing this population should be more rigorous (CDC, 2012).
The descriptive epidemiology of tuberculosis related to the prevalence of infection as well patterns, distribution and trends affecting the disease. The socioeconomic status of the population also affects the distribution of tuberculosis among sufferers. The urban poor live in more crowded areas, where there is a higher risk of contamination. Equally, the working class and people in the lower social strata ha...