More you should know about TB

Oops I forget to tell you how TB is spread. TB is transmitted through the air, so, when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks to you, laughs in front of you, sings in front of you, or does whatever which contaminates the air, the bacteria will be passed on to you.

Of all the above, sneezing is the worst. When a person sneezes, he/she releases a 40,000 aerosol droplets to the air. Imagine that you are in a cinema and someone infected sneezes and did not cover his/her mouth and the bacteria flies to the air....to you.


So, please have some manners and carry a handkerchief or tissue to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze if you know that you are infected with some disease whether it's TB, bronchitis, flu, or the common cold.

Two months ago, I was sitting in my MBA class and there was this guy who is the Chief Technology Officer of an IT company. He was coughing non-stop without covering his mouth. What lousy manners he has, despite being an educated person and being a CTO. I don't know what infection he is carrying and spreading in the classroom.

Please wear a mask if you have an infection!

And yes, I should tell you about the terrifying treatment of TB. I have personally communicated with a friend who had TB some time ago and she told me that you will be injected every single day for 3 months! Uhmmm, that would be like 30 days x 3 months = 90 painful shots. Oh my! Not just any ordinary shot. An injection to the muscle!

Yes, 90 painful shots to your butt for three longgg months. In addition to that, you still have to take about 8 tablets a day for the following next three months. The treatment for TB is like a therapy. In Malaysia, the therapy lasts for 6 months. But from what I read from the Internet, the therapy treatment in the US is 9 months.

Initially I thought the injection treatment was the old treatment in the olden days but it looks like it is still being practised today. I did ask my doctor in Island Hospital about the treatment for TB. She told me it involves taking 8 tablets a day for 6 months, and no injection involves.

Probably, the treatment is different depending on the hospital that you are visiting. And the treatment comes with a side effect. Some patients reported they would feel nauseous, vomit, and diarrhoea while undergoing the treatment. It is important that you should not miss your medication, that is why, all hospitals require you to come to the hospital everyday to swallow the tablets in front of a medical officer to ensure that you do not miss your medication. If you miss it a day, you are helping the bacteria to grow stronger and to become drug resistant and you might never be cured.

I am still waiting for the lab in KL to culture my phlegm taken from last week's bronchoscopy and I do hope they find something but not the mycobacterium tuberculosis! Or not any of the family of other mycobacterium!