Tuberculosis is back with a vengeance. The killer disease of the past is now killing millions in Africa as it has found a new partner in its destructive mission. Full-blown cases of AIDS coupled with TB is killing on an average three million people a year in Africa alone. What is alarming is that the death rate has gone up by 10% in 2 years and there are no signs of the destruction slowing down.
Health experts argue that the two diseases need to be treated together and the major stumbling block is the high cost of drugs used to treat tuberculosis. The classical symptoms are gradual loss of weight, evening rise of body temperature, and moderate to severe cough. The disease spreads through air as droplets when a person coughs or sneezes and the sputum carries the bacteria, which spread the disease.Nearly 2 billion people are currently infected with the TB germ and this figure is one-third the world population!!!!!
Africa is the worst hit continent. Nearly 25 million people are HIV positive and 2.5 million people died due to HIV related causes last year in Africa alone.
