Short History of Tuberculosis
In the Paleolithic period, people lived as wanderers, did not settle in villages or permanent locations, and do not congregate in large groups.
While tuberculosis may have occurred sporadically, it an other infections disease probably did not occur in epidemic form.
Beginning in about 8000 BC, humans developed primitive agricultural techniques that allowed settlement in permanent sites and with this development came the domestication of cattle, swine and sheep.
In all probability, tuberculosis occurred more frequently in this setting, but it nevertheless remained rare.
Tuberculosis probably occurred as an endemic disease among animals long before it affected humans. Mycobacterium bovis was the most likely infecting organism and the first human infections may have been with Mycobacterium bovis.
Since Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects all primate species, it is also possible that this species existed in subhuman primates before it became established in humans.
Tuberculosis probably occurred as a sporadic and unimportant disease of humans in their early history. Epidemic spread began slowly with increasing population density.
This spread and the selective pressure it has exerted have occurred at different times around the globe.
The epidemic slowly spread worldwide as a result of infected European travelling to and colonizing distant sites.
In the 1700s and early 1800s tuberculosis prevalence peaked in Western Europe and the United States and was undoubtedly the largest cause of death.
100 to 200 years later it had spread in full force to Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
1.6 millions death worldwide due to tuberculosis in year 2002 alone. Currently tuberculosis kills 1.8 million people each year. However scientist believed that can be averted by 2050 with better testing, drugs and vaccines.
Treatment from 1995 to 2008 saved six millions lives. However 36 millions infected with tuberculosis during 1995-2008 were cured and incidence of the lung wasting disease has begun to regress, but only by about one percent per year.
Short History of Tuberculosis
