HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTION

DEFINITION & GENERAL INFORMATION

• Disease caused by bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Usually attacks lungs, but can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain.
• If not treated properly, can be fatal.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS ?

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• Pain in chest
• Coughing up blood or sputum
• Weakness or fatigue
• Weightloss
• No appetite
• Chills
• Fever
• Sweating at night

WHO IS SUSCEPTIBLE?

• Seniors, babies, HIV/AIDS patients,diabetics, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, people with kidney disease, people undergoing treatment for autoimmune disease and malnourished individuals (body can't fight off infection due to weak immune system)
• People surrounded by potential cases of TB

HOW IS IT SPREAD?

• Spreads through air from one person to another (airborne).
• Put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings.

HOW DOES IT SPREAD IN THE HOSPITAL?

• TB is airborne therefore, if patient is not under airborne isolation and isn't in a specialized negative pressurized room, then the infection could spread through the hospital ventilation system.

HOW DO WE PREVENT THE DISEASE FROM SPREADING?

• Proper ventilation
• Limit contact

HOW DO WE TREAT THE DISEASE IN THE HOSPITAL?

• If you have TB infection your healthcare provider will treat you to keep you from developing TB disease.
• If you have TB disease, you can be treated by taking several drugs ((Isoniazid, Rifampin, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol (Myambutol), Ethionamide (Trecator), Rifabutin, Rifapentine (Priftin)) (6-9months)
• If not taken properly: become sick, germs that are still alive could become resistant to those drugs -> harder more expensive treatment.

WHAT ARE THEN FINANCIAL OR SOCIAL OUTCOME OF THE PATIENT?

• TB treatment costs about $2,000 a patient, but can rise up to $250,000 a patient with anti-microbial resistant TB.
• TB has rippling social implications, due to how easy this disease is transferred, people do not want to be in close proximity to any infected individual. Patients with TB are required to stay physically isolated for two weeks or longer while receiving treatment to ensure they are no longer contagious. Weither a person is contagious or not, the stigma does not disappear. People do not forget when someone close to them carries a life-threatening disease.

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CITATIONS

• http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tb.htm
• http://www.everydayhealth.com/tuberculosis/risk-factors.aspx
• https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/public-health-tuberculosis/social-im...
• https://www.google.com/#safe=strict&q=cost+of+tb