Tuberculosis is an airborne disease i.e. it spreads through air. When a Diseased person(see Signs and Symptoms) sneezes, coughs, laughs or shouts tiny droplet nuclei of the tubercule bacilli are expelled into the air. This mist, or aerosol as it is often called, can be taken into the nasal passages and lungs of a susceptible person(see
Signs and Symptoms ) nearby[1](Stuart J. p 183).
Tuberculosis is not highly contagious like other infectious disease
[1](Stuart J. p 183). As a rule, close, frequent, or prolonged contact is needed to spread the disease
[1](Stuart J. p 183) . Unlike many other infections, TB is not passed on by contact with a patient’s clothing, bed linens, or dishes and cooking utensils
[1](Stuart J. p 183). Only about one in three close contacts of a TB patient, and fewer than 15% of more remote contacts, are likely to become infected
(Stuart J. p 183).
Of course, if a severely infected patient emits huge numbers of bacilli, the chance of transmitting infection is much greater [1](Stuart J. p 183). But in case of pregnancy, the fetus can get tuberculosis from the infected mother by inhaling or swallowing the bacilli in amniotic fluid [1](Stuart J. p 183) .
Reference: [1]Stuart J., The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 2nd edition, Emarald group publishing limited, The United States of America.
|
||
