TB - LOSE NO HOPE!
(Dedicated to World TB Day)

Kshyarog it is known -

in the Vedas, world renowned

Mankind’s silent killer,

CMI¹- decides the winner

Ubiquitous is its feature,

the deadly airborne creature!

Gliding down the respiratory tract,

beginning of the devilish act

Engulfing them with open arms,

alas! Macrophages²-do no harm!

Necrosing the tissue

or forming granulomas³ - is the issue

Coughing raises alarm bells,

X-ray tells you, you ain’t so well

Smear⁴ positive- lose no hope

peering through the microscope!

So what, if they are acid-fast⁵,

only wish they grew, twice as fast

Weeks they take to show their face,

PCR⁶, BACTEC⁷, on their chase

TB strikes with impunity

does BCG confer immunity??

Social workers at the spot,

putting patients on the DOT⁸

RHZE⁹- albeit, a six- month regimen

kindly cooperate ladies and gentlemen!

 

~ Nirmala ~

 

^{THE TECHNICAL TERMS EXPLAINED:}

1 CMI – Cell Mediated Immunity ( a type of immune mechanism of the body).

2 MACROPHAGE - Immune cell that is supposed to destroy the invading bacteria.

3 GRANULOMAS - a collection of tissue formed around the bacteria.

4 SMEAR - a sputum sample tested for diagnosing TB

5 ACID-FAST - Once the TB bacilli are stained they do not lose the colour even after acid treatment.

6 PCR – Polymerase Chain Reaction ( an advanced diagnostic technique).

7 BACTEC – an advanced method for growing bacteria.

8 DOT- Directly Observed Treatment- patients are given medicines under observation.

9 RHZE – abbreviations of the four main drugs used to treat TB.