Health
Tuberculosis has overtaken COVID as world's deadliest infectious disease
Tuberculosis (TB) is once again the infectious disease responsible for the most deaths worldwide, according to a Tuesday announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The contagious disease was responsible for 1.25 million global deaths in 2023, WHO reported, including 161,000 people with HIV.
COVID-19 had overtaken TB as the world’s leading infectious killer for the previous three years.
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What to know about tuberculosis
TB is a preventable and curable disease caused by bacteria that typically impacts the lungs, according to WHO.
This 2006 electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which causes the disease tuberculosis. (Janice Carr/CDC/AP)
It is an airborne contagion that can be spread through coughing, sneezing or saliva.
While around 25% of people have likely been infected with the bacteria, only 5% to 10% will experience symptoms and develop the disease, the same source stated.
Only people with symptoms can spread the disease.
Who is at risk?
“If you breathe, you can catch TB — so all people are at risk,” Masae Kawamura, M.D., a former TB control director in San Francisco and a tuberculosis clinician, told Fox News Digital.
Kawamura calls TB a “social disease of crowding and mobility.”
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“Since TB is airborne, congregate settings like hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, jails, classrooms and homeless shelters are places TB is more easily spread, especially if multiple risks are involved,” she said.
Those at the highest risk of developing TB disease after exposure include people who have diabetes, have weakened immunity, are malnourished, use tobacco and/or drink excess amounts of alcohol.
Babies and children are also at higher risk.
“If a person has latent TB infection, TB disease activation varies from 5% to 15% over a lifetime, but can be higher if a person has multiple risks, such being an elderly person and/or being malnourished, having diabetes and/or having other diseases that weaken the immune system,” said Kawamura.
Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Those who get sick with TB may experience mild symptoms, including coughing, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, weakness, fever and night sweats, according to WHO.
Symptoms will vary depending on which organs are affected.
“If you breathe, you can catch TB — so all people are at risk.”
In addition to the lungs, the disease can also affect the kidneys, spine, skin and brain.
“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” said Kawamura.
“This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.”
TB is an airborne contagion that can be spread through coughing, sneezing or saliva. (iStock)
In more severe cases, patients may cough up blood, noted Kawamura, who serves on the board of directors of Vital Strategies, a global public health organization.
“Often there are minimal symptoms for a long time and people mistake their occasional cough with allergies, smoking or a cold they can’t shake off,” she added.
TB can be identified with rapid diagnostic tests, WHO noted.
The disease is treated with antibiotics that are taken every day for four to six months, the same source stated. Some of the most common include isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.
“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” an expert said. “This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.” (iStock)
Failing to take the complete course of medications can cause the bacteria to become drug-resistant.
Cases of drug-resistant TB need to be treated with different medications.
When TB becomes deadly
If TB goes untreated, it is fatal in about half of its victims, according to Kawamura.
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“About 25% recover on their own and another 25% persist as chronic active TB cases,” she said.
In the U.S., most active TB cases are detected at an earlier stage, the expert noted, but the death rate is still “shockingly high” at 10%, and much higher if the patient is over 65 years old.
Prevention of the disease
There is a childhood vaccine called BCG (Bacille-Calmette-Guerin) that is given in most of the world to infants, Kawamura noted.
“It reduces death, meningitis and organ dissemination by 75% in children under 5 — however, it does not prevent TB infection and is ineffective in adults,” the doctor told Fox News Digital.
The best means of prevention is testing those at risk and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), a doctor advised. (iStock)
“Overall, BCG is considered ineffective, hence, TB’s title as the greatest infectious disease killer of all time.”
BCG was never used in the U.S. because of the country’s lower rates of TB, its ineffectiveness and its interference with TB tests, she added.
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The best means of prevention is testing those at risk and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), according to the doctor.
Gisele Bündchen is expecting a baby with boyfriend Joaquim Valente, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The supermodel, 44, is pregnant for the third time. She already has two kids with her ex-husband, retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
Bündchen is reportedly several months along and will not find out the baby’s gender – but she is planning a home birth, a source told People Magazine, as she did with her son.
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Although Bündchen is no stranger to giving birth at home, some experts have called out the risks.
Gisele Bündchen is expecting a baby with boyfriend Joaquim Valente, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital. (Getty Images)
The biggest concern about giving birth at home is what happens if something goes wrong, according to Talitha Phillips, a labor and postpartum doula and CEO of health nonprofit Claris Health.
“If there is a serious medical complication, sometimes there is less access to necessary medical interventions,” the Los Angeles-based expert told Fox News Digital.
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Kristin Revere, an elite certified birth, postpartum and infant care doula and owner of Gold Coast Doulas in Michigan, also warned about medical access, noting that home births are “not covered by general insurance.”
“If a transfer needs to happen during labor and the hospital is a distance away, and mother or baby is in distress, they may not be able to get the medical attention they need in time,” she told Fox News Digital.
“If an epidural is desired or needed, the mother will need to transfer to the hospital.”
Mothers in distress may not be able to get the “medical attention they need in time,” a doula warned. (iStock)
There are some benefits to birthing at home, the experts noted, including the fact that the mother can be in a “very comfortable” and familiar environment that “feels less clinical,” according to Phillips.
There are also fewer medical interventions to deal with throughout the process, like IVs, shift changes and the ability to eat and change positions whenever the woman wants, she added.
“If an epidural is desired or needed, the mother will need to transfer to the hospital.”
“You also get to choose the people who you want to be a part of your birth, and you build a relationship with the team that you’re welcoming into this special process,” Phillips said.
“If you have other children, they can also be there if you want them to be.”
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Revere said her clients appreciate not having to “scramble to get someone to watch their children when they go into labor.”
Home births can also be more affordable than a hospital, even with insurance co-pays, she noted.
A mother can choose whether she wants her other children present during a home birth. (iStock)
“Some of my clients fear hospitals and prefer to deliver in their environment, while others prefer the longer prenatal visits that many home birth midwives provide,” she said.
“Some mothers have a history of quick labors and feel more comfortable delivering at home.”
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Pregnancy tends to be higher-risk for people older than 35, according to Mayo Clinic and other sources.
As Bündchen is 44, Phillips mentioned that age should be discussed with the home birth professional when making the decision, as it may be considered as part of the medical intake and pregnancy history.
Tom Brady of the New England Patriots celebrates with then-wife Gisele Bundchen and children Vivian and Benjamin after Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Feb. 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
But Revere added that age is not as much of a factor in home births as it is in overall health.
“Home births are for low-risk clients,” she said. “There may be restrictions on delivery dates based on the age of the mother and state laws regarding home births.”
For women considering a home birth, Phillips encouraged considering a provider’s qualifications, education, history and past patient reviews before making a decision.
“You want to make sure to hire someone you feel comfortable with, who adds peace and knowledge to the experience and is a good fit for you,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Make sure the medical provider is backed up by a provider with hospital privileges should you need a hospital transfer,” Phillips added. “That allows for open communication between the teams and a smooth transfer in cases where one occurs.”
Home births are for “low-risk clients,” an expert said. She recommends that the woman takes a comprehensive childbirth class to be fully prepared. (iStock)
Revere also suggests that any home birthers take a comprehensive childbirth class that covers breathing and pain relief techniques for an un-medicated birth.
Some of her favorite childbirth classes include HypnoBirthing, The Bradley Method, Lamaze and Gentle Birth.
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There are different laws regarding home births depending on the state where the mother lives, according to Revere, so there could be varying restrictions on things like vaginal birth after cesarean and twin births.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bündchen’s rep for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
Fox News’ Health newsletter brings you stories on the latest developments in health care, wellness, diseases, mental health and more.
TOP 3:
– The presidential election is making a majority of Americans anxious, surveys find
– Elon Musk wants people to send their medical scans to his AI chatbot, Grok
– Dr. Nicole Saphier shares four hidden signs of breast cancer to watch out for
This week’s health newsletter includes why Americans are feeling the most anxious during the presidential election and a message from Elon Musk on using his AI chatbot to analyze medical scans. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images; Getty Images)
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It’s known that vaping can negatively impact one’s health, but a viral moment shows just how bad it can be.
Sheldon Shuffield of Fort Worth, Texas, posted a video to his TikTok account (@thisdadtiktoks) in August for his more than 600,000 followers, which now has more than two million likes and 22 million views.
“Oh my God, I just got a new fancy-schmancy Mercedes,” he began. “Do you want proof that vaping is bad for you?”
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Shuffield, who once worked in health care, explained that his Mercedes came with a HEPA filter that is “similar to what’s in the operating room,” he said in the video.
(Left to right) Image of the Mercedes HEPA filter screen showing a normally-filtered and clean interior, next to the interior after the vape smoke was blown. (Sheldon Shuffield/TikTok @thisdadtiktoks)
The filter is meant to purify the air that enters the car to create a healthier environment.
Shuffield’s husband took a puff of his vape and blew it down onto the floorboards.
As he puffed out the light plume of smoke, the filter’s interior numbers shot through the roof, quickly changing from a “Good” 1 PM2.5 (particulate matter) rating, to an “Unhealthy” rating of 63, to a peak “Very Unhealthy” rating of 200, before the car began filtering out the poor air.
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“Y’all!” Shuffield yelled in reaction. “You’re blowing that around with your kids in the car!”
“I’m so thankful that my car [has] that feature, because it just opened my eyes … that was just a little bit of vape smoke in my car.”
Sheldon Shuffield (@thisdadtiktoks) posted his video to TikTok in August. It now has nearly 23 million views. (Sheldon Shuffield/TikTok @thisdadtiktoks)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Shuffield claimed that fumes from vehicles on the road register lower harm ratings than vape smoke.
“I’m shocked that so many people willy-nilly inhale this all day long,” he said. “It just blows my mind.”
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, a Mercedes spokesperson said the company offers the optional HEPA filter as part of its “Energizing Air Control Plus” feature in the Mercedes EQS and EQE Sedan and SUV models.
“This advanced filtration system significantly improves air quality by capturing fine dust, micro-particles and pollen, and reducing harmful pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides,” the spokesperson noted.
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“With a filtration efficiency exceeding 99.65% for particles as small as PM 0.3, it ensures a clean and safe environment inside the vehicle, comparable to clean rooms and operating theaters.”
While traditional cigarettes produce much higher levels of harmful chemicals, e-cigarettes “should not be considered safe,” an expert said. (iStock)
Theodore Wagener, PhD, director of the Center for Tobacco Research and co-leader of the Cancer Control Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital that this video is “not at all surprising.”
“The car is measuring PM2.5 (aka particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less), which is small enough to travel deep into the lungs,” the expert said.
“This type of information can increase motivation to stop vaping and smoking to improve overall health.”
“While traditional cigarettes produce … a greater amount of harmful chemicals than e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes … should not be considered safe, but instead considered less harmful than cigarettes.”
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The benefit of having a HEPA filter in a vehicle, Wagener said, is that it provides “real-time feedback of the impact of your behaviors.”
“This type of information can increase motivation to stop vaping and smoking to improve overall health,” he added.
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Shuffield’s video proves that “vaping is not benign,” Wagener said.
“It should only be used as a method of harm reduction for cigarette smokers who have been unable to quit smoking using FDA-approved products like nicotine lozenges and patches,” he said.
“Mercedes-Benz was the first automotive manufacturer to receive the ‘OFI CERT’ ZG 250-1 certification from the Austrian Research and Testing Institute (OFI),” Mercedes told Fox News Digital. “Air filters with this certificate reduce bacteria and viruses directly at the filter.” (iStock)
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“For smokers, switching completely to vaping nicotine will likely produce a health benefit, but the ultimate goal should be to completely stop use of all nicotine.”
Shuffield and his husband have “scaled back” on their vaping habits, he said, as they intend to be good role models for their kids – a son, 7, and a daughter, 14.
For people who are addicted to vaping, Shuffield’s advice is to “put it down and step away from it as much as you can.”
“Don’t let it be glued to your hand like a cellphone.”
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