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Punto de vista: La dinámica biosocial de la tuberculosis
Author(s) -
Grange John M.,
Kapata Nathan,
Chanda Duncan,
Mwaba Peter,
Zumla Alimuddin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2008.02205.x
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , medicine , disease , declaration , biosocial theory , intensive care medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychology , political science , pathology , social psychology , law , personality
Summary The declaration by the WHO of tuberculosis as a ‘global emergency’ illustrates the paradox of tuberculosis. The treatment of this disease is a good example of ‘evidence‐based medicine’, having been fine‐tuned by numerous clinical trials. Modern short‐course anti‐tuberculosis therapy is among the most effective and cost‐effective ways of saving and prolonging human life; yet, this disease is more prevalent today than in the days before the advent of effective therapy and is currently the cause of one in seven deaths and one in four preventable deaths among young adults. It would seem that something has gone seriously wrong and, to shed light on the cause, it is necessary to take a very broad historical look at the changing trends in the behaviour of the disease in communities worldwide and the attitudes of the various communities to the disease in their midst, not just to understand past mistakes, but to make sure we do not make the same mistakes now and in the future.