Tuberculosis
Despite medical advancement, the negative feelings surrounding tuberculosis abound. Families are isolated and the necessary support required for ensuring smooth recovery is lacking. Poverty and low education lead people to local doctors who claim to possess magical powers and delay the start of effective treatment. Superstitions surrounding the disease take precedence in the minds of people and the patient and lead to higher incidences of tuberculosis spread.
Young adult volunteers
Youngsters who have gone through the experience of tuberculosis and come out alive are capable of changing the thoughts and attitudes of families and communities. Volunteers from neighbouring areas should be assigned to visit locations where poverty and poor sanitation and initiate action with local authorities to clear the areas and prevent the onset of epidemics. Conducting discussions on tuberculosis and involving people in sessions that focus on the possible choices after the onset of the disease can go a long way in reducing the feelings of anxiety. Young people who are going through the experience of tuberculosis are better able to relate with others of their age and prefer to be frank in a non-judgmental environment.
Risk profile
Tuberculosis that appears in young children may point to the possibility of its prevalence in the parents. These individuals with latent tuberculosis may not appear to have symptoms but they pose a risk to others in the locality. Similarly, teenagers who are undergoing experiences that increase the possibility of developing HIV and tuberculosis need to be counselled on avoidance and safety. Cultural norms regarding sexual mores need a review since the absence of questioning leads to dangerous choices. Individuals who are already suffering from HIV must be educated on ways to improve the chances of leading normal lives and continuing to work.
Community mobilisation
Tuberculosis is a result of compromised surroundings or individual immunity or both. The presence of a single patient in a community living in close quarters, as in ghettoes or prison, increases the chances of rapid spread of the disease to others. The multiplication of sufferers affects the capability of recovery since the bacteria may mutate to bring about stronger strains in successive attacks on existing patients. All members of the community and its support systems must be made aware of the possibility of the development of tuberculosis in their surroundings if there has been contact with the community where a patient has been identified. Mass tests must be conducted rapidly among all these communities and isolation may become necessary to stem the spread.
Medicines
The consumption of medication and avoidance of a risky lifestyle is of interest to entire groups of people. If someone travels to or migrates from places with a high incidence of tuberculosis state authorities must demand immediate quarantine to prevent the spread of an epidemic. Public health authorities are concerned with the medicine consumption habits of patients and must make regular visits to the homes of tuberculosis patients to ascertain that necessary care is being taken by the individual and the family. The patient may be required to appear at the public health centre for regular checks to be sure that the right medicine choices are being prescribed by the doctor.