Knowledge and understanding: In communities with limited access to healthcare or education, TB may be misunderstood. Misconceptions about how it spreads can lead to fear and isolation.
Social and economic factors: Poverty, overcrowding, and malnutrition can increase the risk of TB. Communities facing these challenges may have higher rates of TB, creating a perception of the disease being linked to social status.
Cultural beliefs: Some cultures may have traditional beliefs about TB that influence how people perceive the disease and how they seek treatment.
Public health efforts play a crucial role in addressing these perceptions. By providing accurate information about TB, destigmatizing the disease, and promoting access to healthcare, communities can work together to prevent and control TB.
The following information comes from a study done on TB positives of varying ages in Africa
About 73.9% stated that they only learned about the TB disease after they were diagnosed at the health care facility, and 26% said that they still did not know about TB. Only 65.7% had knowledge on how TB spread from person to person. The study findings revealed that there is still poor TB information in the communities since most respondents only learn about TB when they are already sick. Even after their diagnosis, some respondents still had a poor understanding of TB. Poor knowledge about TB increases misconceptions about the cause and mode of transmission in the community and delays TB diagnosis.
The study further revealed that respondents did not want to disclose their TB status to their family members for fear of discrimination and isolation. Due to the lack of comprehensive knowledge about TB treatment, patients were likely to stop treatment. Treatment interruption is also related to perceptions about TB as a disease [27]. Patients also fear being discriminated and isolated within the community as there is a misconception about TB in the community. One study indicated that because of fear of stigma and discrimination, patients did not disclose their HIV status to their family members, which in turn influenced non-adherence to TB medication .