Three diseases seem to be holding developing countries like ours by the jugular. Two of these diseases — HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis — are communicable, while one — malaria — isn't.
While they don't necessarily lead to death when managed effectively, sometimes, they do lead to morbidity — a state of unwholesome feelings.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is an air-borne infectious disease, which, though preventable and curable, still afflicts millions of people globally, including Nigeria.
According to a World Health Organisation factsheet, in 2011 alone, 8.7 million people fell ill with TB, including 1.1 million cases among people living with HIV.
That same year, 1.4 million people died from TB, including 430,000 among people who were HIV-positive.
Experts say this infection is one of the top killers of women worldwide, as a whopping half a million women died from TB in 2011 alone.
Worse still, there were an estimated 310,000 cases of multidrug-resistant TB among notified TB patients with pulmonary TB.
Specialist in TB at the Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Dr. Greg Erhabor, explains that this disease most commonly affects the lungs and is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.
Describing its manifestation, Erhabor says, "The symptoms of active TB of the lungs are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats."
He laments that though tuberculosis is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics, delayed presentation and diagnosis, which are commonly associated with death, are some of the major problems that health care providers face.
"There is therefore a need for more awareness among patients and health care providers about tuberculosis," he enthuses.
So important is the need for awareness about this dreadful disease that, at this year's World TB Day, the Chief Medical Director, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Sanya Adejuyigbe, canvassed increased support for its detection, treatment and prevention.
But then, what are the complications of TB once the bacterium takes hold on the body? To start with, Erhabor notes that waiting a "mere" four weeks before presenting for treatment puts the patient at huge risk.
"Worse still are the complications that develop as the disease ravages the body," says a consultant pulmonologist, Dr. Olufemi Oduwole. The complications include:
Lung damage: Experts warn that without prompt treatment, pulmonary TB may cause permanent damage to the lung tissue. Erhabor says, "This damage can make breathing difficult for the affected individual."
Indeed, another consultant pulmonologist, Dr. Olayemi Awopeju, warns that without treatment, tuberculosis can be fatal. "Untreated active disease typically affects your lungs, but it can spread to other parts of the body through your bloodstream."
Bone invasion: When TB spreads into the bones, the experts aver, it can result in spinal pain and gradually progress to joint destruction. "In many cases, the ribs are affected; and in children, it can result in hunchback," they warn.
Brain: The brain is another organ where TB can wreak havoc by causing meningitis —fatal swelling of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Liver and kidneys: Awopeju says though the liver and kidneys help filter waste and impurities from the bloodstream, the presence of TB in the body impairs their functions once it spreads it deadly fangs therein.
Heart: "TB can infect the tissues that surround your heart, causing inflammation and fluid collections that may interfere with its ability to pump effectively," Oduwole says.
Malaria
Malaria seems to be present with us perpetually, and that is one reason why many take to self-medication whenever they are down with what they self-diagnose as a bout of malaria.
Experts warn that though malaria may be endemic in the country, it is one deadly disease that should not be trifled with. The WHO says if not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs.
In addition, Family Doctor, Dr. Adeoye Adaramola, says many people are not aware of the fact that malaria can cause:
Anaemia: The destruction of red blood cells by the malaria parasite can cause severe anaemia, as the red blood cells are unable to carry enough oxygen to the body's muscles and organs, leaving the patient feeling drowsy, weak and faint.
Brain damage: Adaramola says some rare cases of malaria can affect the brain. "This is known as cerebral malaria and it can cause the brain to swell, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage. It can also cause seizures or coma," he discloses.
Other complications that can arise due to severe malaria include breathing problems such as fluid in the lungs; liver failure, jaundice, a sudden drop in blood flow, leading to shock; abnormally low blood sugar; kidney failure; swelling and rupturing of the spleen; and dehydration.
Experts say complications of severe malaria can occur within hours or days of the first symptoms, and that it is important to seek urgent medical help as soon as possible.
For pregnant women, babies, young children and the elderly, "The effects of malaria are usually more severe, hence the need for urgent medical intervention," Adaramola warns.
HIV/AIDS
The unholy alliance between TB and HIV is such that experts say people living with HIV are more likely than others to become sick with TB. "Worldwide, TB is one of the leading causes of death among people living with HIV. Without treatment, as with other opportunistic infections, HIV and TB can work together to shorten lifespan," they warn.
As severe as this co-infection is, WHO says in 2011 alone, globally, 48 per cent of TB patients known to be living with HIV were started on anti-retroviral therapy.
Abuja+12 Special Summit on HIV, TB and Malaria
Sequel to the recognition of the dangers posed by these three deadly health issues, the African Union Commission, in collaboration with United Nations agencies and other development partners such as the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, is holding a Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The Director, Department of Social Affairs, African Union Commission, Ambassador Olawale Maiyegun, notes that, "HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria remain major causes of morbidity and mortality in Africa and continue to pose serious challenges to socio-economic development and human security in the continent."
This is supported by a senior registrar at the OAU's Department of Medicine, Dr. Iziegbe Irabor, who recognises TB as "more of a social problem than a medical one;" noting that the infection has become an index for measuring the economic status of any country, including Nigeria.
The duo of Maiyegun and the Director General of NACA, Prof. John Idoko, disclose that the special summit will review the status of African governments' investment in the various national HIV/AIDS, TB and Other Related Infectious Diseases responses; and subsequently adopt a set of actions to enhance the continent's response and effort at reversing the impact of these diseases by ensuring universal access to services and strengthened health systems.
