Tuberculosis: Epidemiology and Nursing Role

Tuberculosis has been a persistent threat to the human race as far back as Hippocrates (c.460-c.370 BC). Globally, tuberculosis has infected millions during waves, often killing scores of people at a time, and then receding giving it an almost supernatural quality (Daniel, 2006). In recent history tuberculosis has been recorded in all corners of the world, and currently infects one third of the global population. In 2012, TB was responsible for killing 1.3 million people, making it the second largest fatal disease next to AIDS. The purpose of this paper is to describe tuberculosis, explain contributing factors, describe the disease in relation to the epidemiologic triangle, and finally …show more content…

The continuation phase for this specific alternate is delivered in 36 doses over an 18 week period of INH and RIF.
TB is a global scourge however there are certain populations more susceptible to the disease. In the United States, the population at highest risk is the economically disadvantaged. This includes the immigrant population, low-income families, homeless, and the uninsured. In terms of numbers, estimates indicate 11 million people in the United States are infected with the latent form of the disease while approximately 10,000 people per year are infected with active tuberculosis (U.S. HHS, 2014). Due to advancements in monitoring and treatment, the number of deaths attributed to TB in the United States is much lower than in other parts of the world, only 569 in 2010 (CDC, 2013). The most egregious numbers come from sub-Saharan Africa where in 2011 220,000 people died from tuberculosis. The numbers are only an indication of the actual total because reporting is not always consistent, and other factors like AIDS and malnutrition may be cited as the cause of death when TB could have been the actual reason (WHO, 2013).
The determinants of health are inherent in the groups listed above. Some are external meaning the patient has no control over them, while others are internal and result of lifestyle choices. Specifically, the unifying