An information campaign of Radio România Actualităţi

What is tuberculosis? What is the difference between the infection with the TB bacillus and the disease itself? Why do we need an information campaign about the disease? Are some of the questions that Radio Romania Actualitati will respond at in a heading during the radio program Matinal.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease known since ancient times, and throughout the years it was called grudge, phthisis or TB.

Only in the early `50 they could treat effectively this disease.

Mankind has paid a significant tribute of deaths to this disease since ancient times and many personalities died because of it, like Mozart, Chopin, Chekhov, Gaugain, Paganini and Porumbescu.

We believe it is necessary an information campaign on tuberculosis due to the fact that while other infectious diseases such as Ebola, hemorrhagic fever or bird flu causes just over 200 deaths worldwide annually, TB is responsible for 1.6 million.

Another argument is that the last years Romania is on the first place in the European Union regarding tuberculosis.

Every year about 20 000 people get sick and 1,500 die from TB.

Another reason for initiating the campaign is that although most people know what tuberculosis is, many do not know the details of the manifestations of the disease, the route of transmission or the treatment.

We must not mistake the infection with the disease of tuberculosis.

In infections - the immune system controls the bacteria and the person is not ill, while in the second case, the tuberculosis bacilli multiply causing disease because the immune system can not control the bacilli.

This happens especially against a background of weakness of the body.


Translated by
Mariana Rotarescu
Bucharest University