Diphtheria. Tuberculosis

Abstract

In parts of the world where diphtheria still occurs, it is primarily a disease of children, and most individuals who survive infancy and childhood have acquired immunity to diphtheria. In earlier times, when nonimmune populations were exposed to the disease, people of all ages were infected and many were killed. Diphtheria is a serious disease, with fatality rates between 5% and 10%. In children under five years and adults over 40 years, the fatality rate may be as much as 20%. Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death in the world from a single infectious disease. The disease affects 2.7 billion people per year which is equal to one-third of the entire world population. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB.) was the cause of the "White Plague" of the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. During this period nearly 100 % of the European population was infected with M.TB., and 25 % of all adult deaths were caused by M.TB.