Return of TB

Epidemiology is the glue of public health. It helps tremendously in uncovering the diseases within the populations all over the world. The study of epidemiology has helped the United States eradicate many, once fatal, diseases. Recent ABC news, from October 9, 2013, discusses a disease that has been at its lowest levels in the United States over the years has actually begun popping back up and claiming lives. Tuberculosis has been at record low findings among the United States populating for years, which is why doctors and other healthcare workers are having trouble recognizing the signs and symptoms. It is hard to understand a disease that has not been seen in our population for a long time. In Nevada, a mother of twins had a fatal encounter with the illness and so did her babies. After her death, an autopsy was performed, determining the cause was Tuberculosis. It is unclear whether the mother was tested for Tuberculosis, but only one of the twin babies was tested. In the hospital, screening took place among the workers there and 26 people tested positive for Tuberculosis. A major concern was the babies in the NICU. Special consideration must be taken with these babies because of their sensitive, underdeveloped immune systems. The attorney of the deceased woman is searching for answers and questioning the hospital staff in what tests where given and which ones were not. If the hospital failed to perform a Tuberculosis test then a lawsuit could happen. As we learned in class, mortality is always a tragedy, but the information gained from a death and the autopsy can hold valuable information for public health and epidemiology. Reading this article made me realize the realistic value of epidemiology and how the study of epidemiology applies to events like these in our own U.S. population.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/nev-expert-mom-baby-deaths-put-tb-back-20523946