Impacts & Ethical Considerations
Social Impacts
Tuberculosis is a very infectious and contagious disease that affects many people in the world. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes people to get sick, affecting mostly the lungs and respiratory system. Additionally, this disease can be very deadly, which is evident because tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of deaths worldwide. About one-third of the world’s population is suffering from TB. Additionally, individuals that are more prone to being infected with tuberculosis are from areas where TB is common. Most people with TB come from low-income populations, are people with weak immune systems, people with HIV, people who don’t have access to sanitation and access to healthcare. These people have higher risks in being ill with TB because these people are unable to fight the infection, which can cause the infection to spread to other parts of the body. When the TB does not get treated the bacteria continues to grow and spread throughout other parts in the body, causing the person to fall ill and die. People living in undeveloped countries have a higher death rate due to tuberculosis because of their lack of sanitation and healthcare. They’re unable to get the type of medication and medical diagnostic to help treat their sicknesses.
Economic Impacts
Tuberculosis is a major cause of deaths in adults worldwide, but a important factor that affects this is the financial aspects of treatment and research. Tuberculosis has caused many families and communities to be in an economic burden due to the high prices of medication and diagnostic. Accord to the WHO, tuberculosis costs the entire world over $21 billion each year, which includes $9.2 billion for treatment and control, and $12 billion for additional costs. As a result, many families are unable to pay for all of these healthcare costs, resulting in the bacteria to spread throughout the body and to others as well. This causes more citizens to get infected by the mycobacterium tuberculosis and cause more deaths each year.
Ethical Considerations
There are some important ethical considerations that people should know about tuberculosis. For example, scientists and researchers may have tested medications and drugs on many different types of animals. In my opinion, animal testing is a very cruel thing to do, since it causes irritation, harm, and even death towards innocent living creatures. Therefore, medical research for tuberculosis should be conducted in a ethical manner, instead of having people kill animals to creative supplies for humans, which can be selfish. In addition, medical healthcare specialists should have the responsibility of treating ill patients, but have the right to protect themselves as well. As a result, government and healthcare institutions should provide all of the necessities to create a safe working environment for everyone. (Doctors, nurses, other patients, etc) This is very important in third world countries because they have inadequate health care institutions. Furthermore, healthcare providers should always supervise their patients with their medication intake, and continue with checkups. It is very crucial for the doctors to be observed during therapy and the treatment process to prevent further infections from occurring and spreading.
