Tuberculosis and Vaccines

 Written by: Muhammad Arif Rahimi

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan about 60,000 persons are diagnosing with tuberculosis annually in this country and about 12,000 of them die due to this disease. Why tuberculosis is deadly; is there any treatment of tuberculosis and how are the vaccines applied? AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some patients and a physician about the importance of tuberculosis vaccines.

Shafiqa, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “My cousin was suffering from tuberculosis. She had been coughing and was bringing out mucus. She lost her weight and she died after a year of this sickness.”

 Abdul Rauf says, “I am shoemaker and I am suffering from tuberculosis. My feet are paralyzed due to this disease. I am the father of 8 children and I have lost my weight too and I am not able to work anymore.”

Doctor Muhammad Naim Akbari, the contagious diseases specialist, talks about the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis, “Coughing that lasts three or more weeks; coughing with mucus; chest pain; unintentional weight loss; fatigue; fever; night sweats and chills are the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis. If tuberculosis affects the brain, it might cause deafness and muteness of the patient and if it affects the backbone, it might cause the paralyzing of feet and if not treated on time, it might cause the death of the patient.”

What do some people think about the applying of tuberculosis (BCG) vaccines?

Zarmina, a resident of Laghman province says, “I am the mother of 7 children. When I deliver a baby, I regularly apply all vaccines, including tuberculosis vaccines to him/her but I don’t know how often the TB vaccines should be applied.”

Abdul Wasi, a resident of Kapisa province says, “I am the father of 3 children. When my wife gives birth to a baby in the hospital, the administration of the hospital gives a vaccination card and we applied all the vaccines to the baby according to the schedule on the card.”

A vaccinator, Shela says, “I am a vaccinator for the last 25 years. The BCG or the TB vaccine is applied only once in life and it should be applied in the first two weeks of the birth of the baby. This vaccine is injected in the left arm and its wound may last for two weeks. The BCG vaccines are applying in all private and governmental hospitals for free. The baby might have a slight fever after applying this vaccine.”

What do people think about the importance of BCG?

A mother, Masoma says, “When I applied BCG to my children, I know that they are very clever and learn their school lessons very well and if they are infected with any kind of diseases, they would be recovered very soon.”

Doctor Akbari says, “If parents apply BCG to their children in the first two weeks after the born of the baby, the baby might be saved for any kind of deadly disease. If there is a TB patient in the home, the child who has applied BCG, might not be infected with TB and if he/she infects, he/she would be recovered very soon. The BCG vaccine increases the resistance of the body against other diseases as well.”