World Tuberculosis (TB) Day
The theme of World TB Day 2018 – “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world”- focuses on building commitment to end TB, not only at the political level with Heads of State and Ministers of Health, but at all levels from Mayors, Governors, parliamentarians and community leaders, to people affected with TB, civil society advocates, health workers, doctors or nurses, NGOs and other partners.
All can be leaders of efforts to end TB in their own work or terrain.
What exactly is TB?
An airborne contagious infection caused by a bacteria that mainly affects the lungs – although different types can affect other parts of the body.
Tuberculosis symptoms include coughing up blood or phlegm, weight loss and a loss of appetite. The good news is that with treatment of antibiotics TB is relatively straightforward to cure.
TB is curable, but current efforts to find, treat and cure everyone who gets ill with the disease are not sufficient. Of the 9 million people a year who get sick with TB, a third of them are “missed” by health systems.
TB can be prevented by eating healthy food that enhances the immune system of the body. People with existing TB also need a nutritious diet because malnutrition is a common complication of the disease. The healthiest TB diet should basically be nutrient rich foods packed with essential minerals, vitamins and nutrients.
Nutritional needs in TB patients
Energy: Energy requirements of TB patients are raised because of the disease itself.
Micronutrients: A good mineral and multivitamin supplement, supplying between 50 to 150% of the suggested daily allowance, is required since a person with TB is unlikely to meet the heightened requirements for vitamins and minerals with diet alone due to loss of appetite.
Protein: Protein is critical in to Prevent the wasting of body reserves such as muscle tissues.
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