What is TB?
TB is short for tuberculosis, a bacterial infection spread by inhalation of tiny droplets of saliva from the coughs/ sneezes of an infected individual causes by mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium bovis. TB mainly affects the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis), but can spread to many parts of the body including bones and nervous system, which is fatal. Symptoms include persistent coughing, weight loss due to loss of appetite and night sweats.
When your immune system is not strong enough to kill the bacteria, it builds a defensive barrier around the infection and divides in plentiful supply of oxygen. This is known as the primary infection where very little symptoms are seen. Secondary infection occurs when the TB bacteria re-emerges and destroys lung tissues.
The emergence of the disease in such a densely populated city is a major concern as it will be transmitted easily and so the worry is that TB may become incurable again, and patients will have to reply on their immune system rather than medical intervention.
