Introduction:
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that is one of the leading causes of death in the world, especially in developing countries (World Health Organisation, 2018). More than 2.4 billion people in the world are affected by the TB bacteria, with 1.8 million deaths each year (Government of Canada, 2017). Tuberculosis has impacted many nations due to its highly contagious behaviour and the lack of access to healthcare to many of the people affected by this disease. This report will discuss and examine application and limitation of the social impacts, a key concept of Science as a Human Endeavour, in relation to tuberculosis.
Biological Concepts and Background:
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (NSW Government, 2014). There are two main types of TB, pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (Nanzip, 2017). Pulmonary tuberculosis is mainly associated with damage to the lungs and is the most common form of TB (see figure 1). Extrapulmonary tuberculosis may affect organs aside from the lungs, such as the urinary tract and reproductive organs, the bones, the liver, the pancreas, the intestines, the throat and lymph nodes as well as the skin and the covering of the lungs (the …show more content…
However, some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, do not provide the vaccine to everyone, just the people most at risk (Kanabus, 2017). The TB vaccine uses a modified live TB germ, to ensure that it will not cause the disease in a healthy person (Government of Western Australia - Department of Health, 2018). The vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines, with over 100 million infants being immunised each year (Shann, 2010). However, the vaccine is not provided to people over the age of 35, due to limited evidence of its effectiveness with this age group (NHS UK,
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that is one of the leading causes of death in the world, especially in developing countries (World Health Organisation, 2018). More than 2.4 billion people in the world are affected by the TB bacteria, with 1.8 million deaths each year (Government of Canada, 2017). Tuberculosis has impacted many nations due to its highly contagious behaviour and the lack of access to healthcare to many of the people affected by this disease. This report will discuss and examine application and limitation of the social impacts, a key concept of Science as a Human Endeavour, in relation to tuberculosis.
Biological Concepts and Background:
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (NSW Government, 2014). There are two main types of TB, pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (Nanzip, 2017). Pulmonary tuberculosis is mainly associated with damage to the lungs and is the most common form of TB (see figure 1). Extrapulmonary tuberculosis may affect organs aside from the lungs, such as the urinary tract and reproductive organs, the bones, the liver, the pancreas, the intestines, the throat and lymph nodes as well as the skin and the covering of the lungs (the …show more content…
However, some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, do not provide the vaccine to everyone, just the people most at risk (Kanabus, 2017). The TB vaccine uses a modified live TB germ, to ensure that it will not cause the disease in a healthy person (Government of Western Australia - Department of Health, 2018). The vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines, with over 100 million infants being immunised each year (Shann, 2010). However, the vaccine is not provided to people over the age of 35, due to limited evidence of its effectiveness with this age group (NHS UK,