Knowledge, attitude and practices of people towards tuberculosis have increased over the years. People are well aware of it and it is clearly evident that almost everyone has a basic knowledge of tuberculosis such as, it is a respiratory disease, covering one’s mouth to avoid the transmission of the disease and most of them were optimistic towards the disease as it is preventable. With this primordial knowledge of the condition among the population, one could say that the eradication of the disease is not an herculean task and we can hope that the condition will we be eradicated in near future with the help of major health body i.e WHO by imposing stringent preventive measures along with better cures, therapy and ongoing research worldwide.
Tuberculosis is still a prominent illness with high mortality and morbidity that requires our attention. Despite the fact that we are now in the twenty-first century, it is still a source of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the general public, therefore assessing, understanding, and preventing the illness is critical.
According to WHO, a patient is defined as a tuberculosis case when he is been diagnosed as such by a clinician, regardless of its confirmation by bacteriological diagnosis. TB is further classified into 6 major classes based on pathogenesis of the disease and the prominent symptoms experienced by a patient are cough, chest pain, coughing up blood, tiredness, Night sweats, fever and weight loss.
During the initial outbreaks, tuberculosis was treated with the first line antibiotics which led to development of a much more fatal condition-Multi drug resistant tuberculosis. MDR-tuberculosis had made survival harder, leaving us with no choice of treatment.
Several investigations have been undertaken to examine the community's understanding of tuberculosis. An overwhelming majority, at least 80% of the population, had heard of tuberculosis (TB) sickness, with no gender differences, with some being certain of the causative organism and the rest pointing to factors such as smoking, cold air, lack of food, solar light, and so on. When it came to signs and symptoms, the majority of them were fairly certain about the most prevalent symptom, which was a cough lasting longer than two weeks. Hemoptysis was mentioned by more than half of the participants, but chest pain was mentioned by less than half of the population.
When asked about practices, males replied more favorably than females to things like covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and allocating a room for the ill. When it came to therapy, the majority preferred hospitalization, a minority chose self-treatment, and the remainder trusted in god, herbal treatments, and home rest.
During the community's attitude toward tuberculosis survey, the majority of participants were aware that the disease was dangerous, and roughly half of them were aware that TB could be acquired by anyone. When asked how they would react if they were a victim, some responded with dread, loneliness, rage, despair, and hopelessness. Male patients were more likely than female patients to be ashamed of their TB diagnosis. Non-patients were divided on whether or not they would assist the patient, whether or not they had any feelings for the patient, and whether or not they would assist and support the patient. Many people believed that the elderly were more susceptible to tuberculosis.
People have a good understanding of tuberculosis, as more than 80% have heard of it and understand that it is preventable, with little difference in opinion between genders, but knowledge varies with economic status, with people with a fixed income having better knowledge than those with an indefinite income. Illiterates have less knowledge than literates, hence knowledge is linked to literacy.
The majority of participants had a strong understanding of tuberculosis, its transmission method, and prevention measures. Because they haven't mentioned any special feelings toward the patients, stigmatization doesn't appear to be an issue in the area where the study was done. Taking all of this into account, a plan aimed at improving the disease's prognosis is required to eradicate it.
Comments