Infected Passenger Puts Global Spotlight On Tuberculosis
by Sheila McCormick on June 7th, 2007
Loading ...Bioterrorist? Probably not. Victim? Maybe. Irresponsible? Definitely.
However you couch the situation one thing is for sure: Andrew Speaker, a personal injury lawyer from Georgia, has managed to shine a global spotlight on tuberculosis.
Hopefully none of the 292 passengers who traveled with Speaker will suffer negative consequences from his decidedly irresponsible behavior. The passengers who have been tested so far are okay and his fiancé shows no sign of developing the respiratory infection. He has publicly apologized for his actions even though he is adamant that health officials had given him the green light to fly overseas in a plane with hundreds of other people on board.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs but can attack other parts of the body. TB is spread from person to person through the air. People with Tuberculosis of the lung spray the bacteria in the air when they cough, sneeze, talk or laugh. It is possible for people nearby to breathe in the bacteria and become infected. People usually have to be exposed to the TB patient for an extended period of time in order to become infected.
When a person breathes in Tuberculosis bacteria they lodge in the lungs and sometimes multiply. From there the bacteria can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidneys, joints and brain. In most cases the disease is kept in check by the body’s immune system. In a small percentage of people, the infection can break out into active TB at some point in their lives.
As with so many diseases, one of the greatest hopes of prevention and treatment lies with Mother Nature. Several studies have shown that vitamin D plays a critical role in the human body’s response to TB. While research is still being evaluated, a recent study conducted at Harvard University suggests that a simple vitamin D supplement may be one of the most effective ways to deal with TB. The research, conducted by a team from UCLA and Harvard School of Public Health shows that vitamin D plays a key role in the production of a molecule called cathelicidin, which kills the TB bacteria.
The body naturally produces vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. This explains why TB sanitariums were often built in sunny locations high in the mountains. So-called sophisticated 20th century medical researchers did not accept the theory that sitting people out on a sunny porch helped TB, but the current research suggests that the idea may have some benefit.
A study conducted in the United Kingdom also revealed the critical role that vitamin D plays in Tuberculosis prevention. Dr. Adrian Martineau from the Division of Medicine at Imperial College in London put it this way: “This is very significant given the high levels of vitamin D deficiency in people at the highest risk of TB infection and shows that a simple, cheap supplement could make a significant impact on prevention of TB.”
In any event, a vitamin D supplement, time in the sunshine or drinking vitamin D enriched milk or orange juice may provide significant benefits. It is interesting to ponder that billions of research dollars have been spent to treat a disease that possibly could be prevented by supplements that cost just pennies a day.
Spending time in the fresh air and sunshine and drinking a glass of orange juice are good for the body and soul in many ways. And at the end of the day, Mother Nature is the greatest healer.
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