Capstone Case 1: Tuberculosis

Capstone Case 1: Tuberculosis
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Capstone Case 1: Tuberculosis
Lately, tuberculosis (TB) has become a major health concern. The rise to prevalence of the disease is worrying considering the availability of cheap yet effective treatment. The disease remains a great burden in both the United States and the globe. It is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the global population. Its rise is precedent on the increasing number of homeless and drug abusers, immigration from countries with high prevalence, increased international travel, bacterial resistance to medications, and increasing number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Knechel, 2009). The paper offers more insight on the epidemiology of TB and the most attributable factors that advance its prevalence in the population. Further down the essay, an analysis of the preponderance of the disease in the state of North Carolina, the U.S. and globally is provided and the related challenges encountered in the control of the disease in the U.S.
Epidemiology of Tuberculosis
The bacterium mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent for TB. The microorganism attacks the lungs but can also damage to other organs such as the brain, spine, and kidney. In the usual cases, patients have evident symptoms such as fever and night sweats, weight loss, weakness, chest pains, and persistent coughs which are at times accompanied with sputum or blood. The bacteria can be aerosolized to others in the immediate surrounding through speaking, sneezing, and coughing. The shared environment, degree of infectiousness of the case, and the intimacy and duration of that contact are essential determinants to the likelihood of transmission.
It is not everyone that is infected will eventually suffer from the diseases. However, TB is an opportunistic disease and thus, will acclimate to weakened immune systems such as of those with HIV, silicosis, renal insufficiency, and diabetes among others. The morbidity rate of those with HIV past 10 years has been recorded at 53% and 86% (Glaziou, Sismanidis, Floyd, & Raviglione, 2015). The disease exists in both the developed and developing countries but mostly in the later where poverty is considerably high. When this is the case, the social and economic determinant of ill health prevail. In the third world countries, the after-effects is that the young population who are in their productive years are greatly affected.
Factors that Have Contributed to Global Resurgence of TB
Migration
Globalization has guaranteed that the world becomes a ‘small village’ and in this case, international travel has played a major part. Besides this, socio-political factors has compelled some communities to seek homage to other countries. This case is more prevalent in Latin America where majority of the Mexicans and Venezuelans are moving to the U.S. as a result in increased political tensions. The prevalence of TB among ethnic minorities is considerably higher than the general population. The disease is common in vulnerable populations because they lack the channels to access better medication (Srivastava, Kant, & Verma, 2015). For instance, the immigrants are afraid of deportation and will thus refrain from seeking diagnostic and treatment services. The same challenge is evident in the U.S. in the same breath, it is noted that foreign populations are more likely to acquire the disease while living among the vulnerable populations. The rise in international travel and immigration among unsettled communities has raised the level of TB cases, which is evident in communities along all migration pathways.
Malnutrition and Low Immunity in Underdeveloped Countries
As mentioned earlier, TB is an opportunistic disease that is more adept to attacking those people with illnesses in their body. People with malnutrition have lower immunity in comparison to the general population and the bacterium will display parasitic characteristics to these bodies. Malnutrition is highly experienced in third world or underdeveloped countries. Underdeveloped countries find themselves in a precarious situation whereby they have...