tb cough at night :: Article CreatorTB Signs And Prevention Tips For Children
Affinity Health highlights the importance of understanding TB in children this March for TB Awareness Month.Tuberculosis (TB) remains a pressing global health challenge, with children among the most vulnerable to its severe impacts.
Each year, TB Awareness Month in March is a crucial opportunity to raise awareness about this infectious disease, emphasising the importance of prevention, early detection, and community education.
TB is often thought of as an adult disease. Still, it significantly impacts children, making it essential to raise awareness, prevent its spread, diagnose it early, and provide effective treatment to safeguard their health and future.
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How TB spreads
TB spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Children are often exposed to TB through close contact with infected family members or caregivers.
Not everyone who is exposed to TB bacteria gets sick. The infection can stay dormant, known as latent TB, where the bacteria are inactive and cause no symptoms.
However, if left untreated, latent TB can become active, especially in children.
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Signs and Symptoms
• Persistent cough: A cough that lasts more than two weeks, sometimes with wheezing or trouble breathing.• Fever: Ongoing low-grade fever, especially in the evenings or at night.• Weight loss or poor growth: Unexplained weight loss or difficulty gaining weight, even with proper nutrition.• Fatigue and lethargy: Persistent tiredness, reduced activity levels, or lack of energy.• Night sweats: Excessive sweating during sleep – it soaks clothes or bedding.• Swollen lymph nodes: Enlarged lymph nodes, particularly in the neck or armpits.• Difficulty breathing: Advanced TB may cause shortness of breath or chest pain.
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Diagnosing TB
Diagnosing TB in children can be challenging because symptoms are often non-specific.
Healthcare professionals rely on various methods, including the Mantoux tuberculin skin test, which checks for a reaction after injecting a small amount of TB antigen under the skin, and blood tests such as interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) that measure the immune response to TB bacteria.
Chest X-rays are used to identify lung abnormalities, while sputum tests may be conducted for older children to detect TB bacteria.
A thorough clinical evaluation, including a detailed medical history and physical examination, is also essential for accurate diagnosis.
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Preventing TB
Prevention is key to reducing the burden of TB in children.
Here are practical strategies
• Avoiding exposure: Limit contact with people who have active TB. In homes with TB cases, ensure proper treatment to prevent the spread of the disease.• Good ventilation: Keep rooms well-ventilated to reduce the spreading risk of airborne TB bacteria.• BCG vaccination: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine protects against severe forms of TB in children. It's typically administered at birth, where TB is prevalent in South Africa.• Early diagnosis and treatment: Prompt identification and treatment of active TB in adults and older children reduce the risk of transmission to younger children.• Regular health check-ups: It's important to screen children who are at high risk, such as those in close contact with TB patients or with weak immune systems, to detect latent TB early.• Boosting Immunity: Support the child's immune system with a balanced diet.
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Treatment
TB is a curable disease with the proper medical intervention.
Treatment usually includes a combination of antibiotics, such as isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, taken over six to nine months.
To ensure the child follows the treatment plan and remains effective, healthcare providers often use directly observed therapy, where medication intake is closely monitored.
Supportive care, including proper nutrition and addressing other health conditions, is vital in helping children recover fully.
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Do You Cough A Lot During Night? Adopt These Effective Home Remedies To Get Relief
Cold and flu may seem like a minor problem but it affects the body badly. One cannot sleep peacefully due to running nose, phlegm and cough. In such a situation, breathing also becomes difficult due to continuous cough. The condition becomes worse when the throat starts hurting due to coughing throughout the night and one wakes up. In such a situation, it becomes difficult to sleep. If you too are unable to sleep throughout the night due to cough, then try these home remedies. You will get a lot of relief from a cough.
How to relieve cough at night
Ginger- Ginger is an effective herb for cough. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Chewing ginger reduces cough. To get relief from cough at night, add 20-30 grams of ground ginger or dry ginger in 1 cup of hot water. Add honey or lemon juice to it and drink it. This will provide relief from dry cough.
Licorice- Licorice or liquorice root is also effective in cough. Licorice has antiviral and antibacterial properties which can reduce throat discomfort to a great extent. Drinking liquorice in the form of tea will provide relief to the throat and reduce cough.
Eucalyptus oil- To get relief from cough, take steam and add a few drops of eucalyptus oil in water or a humidifier. Especially at night, taking steam by adding eucalyptus oil can give relief from a dry cough. You can also apply it lightly on the throat and chest.
Gargle with warm water- Cough occurs more often when the phlegm in the throat dries up. In case of dry cough, gargle with warm water. This will provide a lot of relief. It also helps in reducing allergies and pollution. Therefore, gargle with warm water at night
(This article is for general information, please consult a doctor before adopting any remedy.)
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Free Testing Clinics For Tuberculosis Scheduled In Manchester Following Confirmed Case
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Mar. 7—Two testing clinics will be held in Manchester next week, after a person who spent time at the Families in Transition Adult Shelter and the 1269 Café tested positive for tuberculosis, state health officials said Friday.
Jake Leon, the director of communications with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), confirmed one adult has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. DHHS said the patient spent time at both the shelter and 1269 Café "while infectious."
"The individual is receiving treatment and is no longer in the shelter or community organization environments," Leon said.
A vehicle with lettering on it for the New Hampshire Metropolitan Medical Reserve System was observed outside the 1269 Café at 456 Union St. On Thursday.
1269 Café is home to a warming shelter for homeless individuals at the site.
State health officials said anyone who visited these facilities from Oct. 1, 2024, through Jan. 31, 2025, could have been in contact with the individual, and testing is available to find out if they were exposed to the bacteria that causes TB.
The testing clinics will be held at 1269 Café Tuesday, March 11, from 10 a.M.-2 p.M. And Wednesday, March 12, from 10 a.M.-2 p.M.
"While not everyone who comes in contact with a person who has TB gets sick, we are recommending that people who were at one of the two facilities between October and January get tested to see if they were infected," Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Elizabeth Talbot said. "Getting tested can provide peace of mind and help prevent sickness and the spread of TB."
State health officials said on average 12 people are diagnosed with tuberculosis in New Hampshire each year, and DHHS initiates a disease investigation for each one.
There is no cost to get tested at these clinics, officials said. Testing involves drawing a blood sample, which will be sent to the DHHS Public Health Laboratories to determine if TB bacteria is present.
People who believe they may have been exposed can also contact their primary care provider to request TB testing. Anyone without a primary care provider can call 211 to establish care.
TB is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which typically infects the lungs. When a person with infectious TB coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets are released into the air. The bacteria spreads when someone breathes in these droplets.
Symptoms of active TB disease include unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever, and a persistent cough that can last for weeks or longer.
Anyone who might have been exposed to TB and develops these symptoms should contact DHHS at 603-271-4496 as soon as possible.
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