Sample Essay On Epidemiology Paper (Tuberculosis)

Tuberculosis

Disease Description
Tuberculosis or TB is a bacterial infection of the lungs, to which the Mycobacterium tuberculosis is known to be the main culprit (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Even though this bacterium can spread to the other internal organs, it normally attacks the lungs. The symptoms depend on where the bacterium attacks, but it usually spreads inside the lungs. An infected person may experience cough for more than 3 weeks, chest pain, and even sputum or coughing with blood. Other symptoms include chills, fever, weight loss, and fatigue. When it comes to mode of transmission, this disease can spread from one person to another through air, such as sneezing and coughing. The susceptible host must have a strong immune system in order not to be affected by the bacteria.
The transmission TB can be both direct and indirect as it is an airborne disease, to which the nearby persons could inhale the bacterium. Mbata and Iroezindu (2013) said that the complications in relation to TB are common, especially if not being treated properly. Some of the common complications are Gastrointestinal and Genito-Urinary TB (Mbata & Iroezindu, 2013). According to the World Health Organization, there were 9.6 million cases of TB in 2014, to which 3.2 million were female and 5.4 million were male (who.int). However, the mortality rate has fallen to 47% that stared in year 1990. Despite the advancement in treatment and medication, TB still remains as one of the threats around the world.

Determinants of Health in Relation to TB

The determinants of health could be the risk factors that help in the development of TB. Some of the factors include overcrowded homes and workplaces that trigger the spread of bacteria among the people (Hargreaves et al., 2011). This will increase the possibility uninfected people to be exposed to such infection. Additionally, malnutrition, hunger, and poverty may also increase the infection’s susceptibility. The individuals who experience TB symptoms also face significant economic and social barriers, which could also limit their access to health systems that could provide proper diagnosis and treatment.

Epidemiologic Triangle of TB

The epidemiologic triangle is the depiction of the relationship of three factors in terms of disease occurrence. These are the agent, environment, and the host (Kebede, 2004). In relation to the development and occurrence of TB, an agent refers to the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is present in every affected person. Agent factor is the presence of such bacterium that potentially infects the internal organ such as the lungs and other susceptible internal organs. On the other hand, the environment refers to the external factors that influence both the infected and uninfected person’s health, such as physical, social, and biological attributes of the environment.
The social environment involves various factors, such as unemployment, education, the culture about diet, and other factors that are related to economic, legal, and political systems. Moreover, the physical factors are related to climate and pollution that may have both direct and indirect influence to the development of TB. Biological factors encompass humans, animals, or plants that could serve as reservoirs of TB bacteria. The host factor, however, refers to the person who carries the disease, to which the agent is present, such as a person infected by TB.

Role of Community Health Nurse

Community nurses play important roles in preventing TB. Case finding is an essential action so as to monitor the frequency of TB cases in every community. Therefore, the number of infected individuals can be used as basis when it comes to increasing the prevention and education dissemination. These varieties of activities, such as the data collection and analysis can be employed and must be considered to reduce TB cases in many communities (Mnisi, Peu, & Meyer, 2012). The role of community nurse is not just to provide quality care to TB patients, but also to provide accurate reporting of cases in order to monitor the effectiveness of preventive measures against TB. Thus, the community nurse’s role is vital in controlling the disease as well as the completion of the patient’s therapy through follow-up and proper monitoring.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Contribution in Resolving TB

Tuberculosis is one of the challenging diseases when it comes to diagnosis and treatment in the United States and many other countries. TB cases in the United States are reflections of global reality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). That is why; CDC helps in finding new effective ways when it comes to implementing new tools within a resource-limited as well as in high-burden settings using operations and clinical research, policy and program design, technical assistance, and program evaluation.
The role of CDC in addressing TB is also focused on innovative ways so as to provide effective approaches to diagnosing, screening, case-finding, and treatment in order to prevent the potential outbreak and drug resistance among TB patients. CDC’s TB Division, otherwise known as Division of Tuberculosis Elimination or DTBE, collaborates with other government agencies to control the global spread of TB (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). It aims to strengthen the TB programs, such as the improved and expanded treatment and prevention of such disease. Additionally, CDC is in collaboration with Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) in order to develop effective policies regarding TB control within the Latin American countries.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, September 30). CDC - CDC's Role in Global TB Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/globaltb/role.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, March 20). CDC - Global Tuberculosis - TB. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/globaltb/default.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, April 28). CDC - Tuberculosis (TB). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/
Hargreaves, J. R., Boccia, D., Evans, C. A., Adato, M., Petticrew, M., & Porter, J. D. (2011). The Social Determinants of Tuberculosis: From Evidence to Action. Am J Public Health, 101(4), 654-662.
Kabede, Y. (2004). Epidemiology [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/health/ephti/library/lecture_notes/env_occupational_health_students/Epidemiology.pdf
Mbata, G. C., & Iroezindu, M. O. (2013). Complications of Tuberculosis. Pioneer Medical Journal, 3(5), 1-7.
Mnisi, S. D., Peu, M. D., & Meyer, S. M. (2012). Role of community nurses in the prevention of tuberculosis in the Tshwane Health District of Gauteng. curationis, 35(1), 1-9.
World Health Organization. (n.d.). WHO | Tuberculosis (TB). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/gho/tb/en/