“We Can Overcome Tuberculosis,” Declares Students from Ungheni’s College of Medicine – The Express

On the international day to fight tuberculosis, which was celebrated on March 24, a group of students – volunteers from the College of Medicine in Ungheni got involved in information activities, with the slogan “Yes, we can defeat tuberculosis!”.

“Through this campaign, we want to inform more categories of people about this disease. It is welcome to involve the students from the College of Medicine in such information campaigns, especially since, in a year, they will go into the practical activity”, said Aurica Pancu, deputy director of practical training at the Ungheni College of Medicine, after which he also added: “If they form from now on skills to promote a healthy lifestyle, when they practice, they will be more effective, because they will have certain skills already formed to inform and prevent certain diseases, among which also tuberculosis”.

Several student-volunteers went to the phthisiopulmonology service, where they were explained the steps that are taken when working with a sick or suspected tuberculosis patient. “Tuberculosis is a social disease, and the whole society should be involved in the fight against this disease. About 20% of the eradication of this disease depends on us, the medical system!, Lidia Crăciun, coordinating physician of the pneumophthiziatry service, told them, after which she continued: “We have the possibilities to make a correct diagnosis. It is important for the patient to apply on time and follow the prescribed treatment consciously. If for two weeks, the patient receives treatment, he becomes non-contagious to those around him. An undiagnosed and untreated tuberculosis patient infects around 10-15 healthy people within a year”.

Dressed in t-shirts printed with suggestive images and armed with eco-bags emblazoned with the message – “Yes. We can defeat tuberculosis!”, but also with many informative materials, the volunteers distributed and transmitted important information about this disease to the patients who had come that day to the family doctors’ office at the Health Center. “It is important to carry out such information activities, because we make people aware of the ways of transmission, the symptoms of tuberculosis, but also where they can go for investigations. I believe that we, the young people, are the ones who can transmit information to the community about the specifics of this disease and promote a healthy way of life”, said a volunteer.

Later, some of the volunteers also went to the District Hospital and talked with the patients hospitalized in the wards. “We listened to the information brought by the students, it would be good to have such visits as often as possible to inform the patients about other aspects, an example would be the correct diet”, a patient told us.

Volunteer Magdalena Nesteriuc mentioned that after the discussions with hospitalized patients, she noticed that people tend to see tuberculosis as something shameful: “We, the future graduates of the College of Medicine, have the duty to promote the fact that this disease is treated free of charge and , regardless of social status and age, anyone can become infected with the tuberculosis microbe”, while also urging people to consult a doctor when they observe certain symptoms: chronic cough, with streaks of blood, sputum, fever, chronic fatigue, night sweats and decrease in weight.

The information activities were organized by the College of Medicine in partnership with the Health Center and the Ungheni District Hospital.

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Tuberculosis is treated!

It is important to mention that tuberculosis is successfully treated, and in the Republic of Moldova the treatment of this disease is free for all people, including people who do not have medical insurance.

Signs that show that a person has tuberculosis: cough (more than 3 weeks); chest pains; expectoration with blood; fever; profuse sweating; weight loss.

The most exposed to illness are people who abuse alcohol, drugs, people who already suffer from serious diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, people who live in poor living conditions. “The diagnosis of tuberculosis is established only by the specialist doctor. The main methods of diagnosis are lung x-rays and the identification of bacilli in sputum through a microscopic examination of the culture,” emphasized Lidia Crăciun.

How tuberculosis is transmitted

Tuberculosis is transmitted from an infected person through airborne particles. These are droplets of saliva so small that they can only be seen under a microscope. These infectious droplets reach the air when people who have tuberculosis cough, sneeze, laugh, shout, sing, etc. Here we must mention that one of the common symptoms of tuberculosis is persistent cough. These droplets shed from the infected person remain suspended in the air for several hours. Transmission occurs when a person inhales these small nuclei. They must reach the healthy person and then, through the mouth or through the nasal passages, move into the upper respiratory tract. After that they reach the bronchi and finally the lungs and alveoli. The lungs are most affected, but tuberculosis can also form in other organs.

How tuberculosis is not transmitted

Using an infected person’s crockery is dangerous and can lead to infection. Specialized literature tells us that infection with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) occurs only through airborne transmission with aerosols, not through surface contact. This means that touching an infected surface will not normally infect a healthy person.

The longer you are around an infected person who is talking, the greater the risk of infection. If you spend more time near an infected person in a poorly ventilated location, if you have low immunity, these are the factors that increase your risk of infection.

According to the specialists from the Phthisiopulmonology Center in Ungheni, the disease is prevented by:

• Vaccination with the BCG vaccine (bacillus Calmette-Guerin)
• Control medical periodic
• Compliance with hygiene rules.