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What is Tuberculosis ?
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Tuberculosis germs have infected people for a long time! |
More than 2000 years ago in ancient Greece, Hippocrates described a common illness that he called "phthisis". We believe this was the same disease that we today call tuberculosis, or TB. TB is a disease caused by a bacterial infection. It can affect many parts of your body, but is found most commonly (80% of the time) in the lungs, where it is called "pulmonary tuberculosis".
Over the centuries since Hippocrates, tuberculosis has been known as a major scourge of the human species, and of other species as well. During the first half of the 20th Century, TB was called "consumption" or "white plague", and it was the number one killer of Canadians. The historic menace of the "White Plague" continued for so many centuries because people had a poor understanding of the disease and poor medical tools with which to fight it.
Today, however, our understanding of tuberculosis together with our sophisticated medicine allows us the upper hand on this once dreaded disease. Humans have claimed a victory over tuberculosis in developed countries like Canada, thanks to medical science. The reason we can be so bold is not that this disease has disappeared, but because it can be cured!
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