Another Person Every Second
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease and is spread through the air. Only when a person is sick with tuberculosis in their lungs are infectious. When infectious people cough, sneeze, talk or spit, they propel TB germs, known as bacilli, into the air. Another person only need inhale a small number of the bacilli in order to become infected. If it is left untreated each person who has active tuberculosis can infect an average of 10 to 15 people each year. The person does not necessarily have to manifest symptoms or become sick in order to spread the disease. The disease can also lie dormant for a number of years, then when the person’s immune system is weakened, the sickness can manifest itself. Currently,
* Overall, one-third of the world’s population is currently infected with the TB bacillus.
The World Health Organization estimates the largest number of new TB cases in 2005 occurred in the South-East Asia Region, with 34% of cases globally. However, the incidence rate in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be nearly twice that of the South-East Asia Region, at nearly 350 cases per 100 000 population.
The World Heath Organization estimated that 1.6 million deaths resulted from TB in 2005. Both the highest number of deaths, and the highest mortality per capita are in Africa.