Tuberculosis :: essays research papers

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a germ (bacterium) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This germ primarily affects the lungs and may infect anyone at any age. In the United States, the number of TB cases steadily decreased until 1986 when an increase was noted; TB has continued to rise since. Today, ten million individuals are infected in the U.S., as evidenced by positive skin tests, with approximately 26,000 new cases of active disease each year. The increase in TB cases is related to HIV/AIDS, homelessness, drug abuse and immigration of persons with active infections. How is TB Contracted? TB is a contagious or infectious disease that is spread from person-to- person. A person is usually infected by inhaling the germs which have been sprayed into the air by someone with the active disease who coughs. However, inhaling the germ does not usually mean you will develop active disease. A person's natural body defenses are usually able to control the infection so that it does not cause disease. In this case, the person would be infected, but not have active disease. Only about 10% of those infected will actually develop TB in their lifetimes. Active disease can occur in an infected person when the body's resistance is low or if there is a large or prolonged exposure to the germs that overcome the body's natural defenses. The body's response to active TB infection produces inflammation which can eventually damage the lungs. The amount of damage may be quite extensive, yet the symptoms may be minimal. The usual symptoms of disease due to TB are: -Fever -Night sweats -Cough -Loss of appetite -Weight Loss -Blood in the sputum (phlegm) -Loss of energy Diagnosing TB To diagnose TB, your clinician will gather five important pieces of information: -Symptoms -History of possible exposure and onset of symptoms -Tuberculin skin test or PPD -Chest X-ray †¢Sputum test Tuberculin Skin Test The tuberculin skin test (or PPD) is performed with an extract of killed tuberculosis germs that is injected into the skin. If a person has been infected with tuberculosis, a lump will form at the site of the injection--this is a positive test. This generally means that TB germs have infected the body. It does not usually mean the person has active disease. People with positive skin tests but without active disease cannot transmit the infection to others. Chest X-Ray If a person has been infected with TB, but active disease has not developed, the chest X-ray usually will be normal. Most people with a positive PPD have normal chest X-rays and continue to be healthy. For such persons, preventive drug therapy may be recommended. Tuberculosis :: essays research papers Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a germ (bacterium) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This germ primarily affects the lungs and may infect anyone at any age. In the United States, the number of TB cases steadily decreased until 1986 when an increase was noted; TB has continued to rise since. Today, ten million individuals are infected in the U.S., as evidenced by positive skin tests, with approximately 26,000 new cases of active disease each year. The increase in TB cases is related to HIV/AIDS, homelessness, drug abuse and immigration of persons with active infections. How is TB Contracted? TB is a contagious or infectious disease that is spread from person-to- person. A person is usually infected by inhaling the germs which have been sprayed into the air by someone with the active disease who coughs. However, inhaling the germ does not usually mean you will develop active disease. A person's natural body defenses are usually able to control the infection so that it does not cause disease. In this case, the person would be infected, but not have active disease. Only about 10% of those infected will actually develop TB in their lifetimes. Active disease can occur in an infected person when the body's resistance is low or if there is a large or prolonged exposure to the germs that overcome the body's natural defenses. The body's response to active TB infection produces inflammation which can eventually damage the lungs. The amount of damage may be quite extensive, yet the symptoms may be minimal. The usual symptoms of disease due to TB are: -Fever -Night sweats -Cough -Loss of appetite -Weight Loss -Blood in the sputum (phlegm) -Loss of energy Diagnosing TB To diagnose TB, your clinician will gather five important pieces of information: -Symptoms -History of possible exposure and onset of symptoms -Tuberculin skin test or PPD -Chest X-ray †¢Sputum test Tuberculin Skin Test The tuberculin skin test (or PPD) is performed with an extract of killed tuberculosis germs that is injected into the skin. If a person has been infected with tuberculosis, a lump will form at the site of the injection--this is a positive test. This generally means that TB germs have infected the body. It does not usually mean the person has active disease. People with positive skin tests but without active disease cannot transmit the infection to others. Chest X-Ray If a person has been infected with TB, but active disease has not developed, the chest X-ray usually will be normal. Most people with a positive PPD have normal chest X-rays and continue to be healthy. For such persons, preventive drug therapy may be recommended.

Effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System in NSW

‘Evaluate the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in NSW'The NSW criminal justice system relates to all areas associated with the law and law enforcement, including those who are incarcerated, on probation, or suspected of committing a criminal offence. In evaluating the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in NSW there are three issues which can be considered; alternatives to gaol, charge negotiation and the role of the courts.These issues promote or demote the effectiveness of the NSW criminal justice system, especially when evaluated in terms of equality, accessibility, resource efficiency, and the balance of rights for victims, offenders and society. These issues are also discussed widely in the media, which presents a different perspective for many of these issues, and provides the necessary pressure required to initiate law reform on these issues. One of the most important issues in the NSW criminal justice system is the availability of alternatives in punishment, aside from incarceration. Apart from criminal infringement notices, there are many more serious alternatives to a prison sentence, including home detention. Home detention, created under the Home Detention Act 1996 (NSW), is applicable for certain offenders, who have committed non-violent crimes and have been sentenced to less than 18 months imprisonment. Home detention is likely to be controversial for more serious offences such as murder or sexual assault, as there is possible high risk of reoffending. Community service orders are also available as a means of shaming and punishing offenders, while facilitating rehabilitation by requiring a period of amending their wrongs towards the community. Diversionary programs are used to divert certain offenders from reoffending, through rehabilitation. Over 150 offenders a year complete The Drug Courts diversionary program. According to the NSW Crime Bureau analysis of the effectiveness of the Drug court, they found that; 37% of criminals were less likely to be reconvicted for any offence, 65% were less likely to be reconvicted for offences against the person and 57% were less likely to be reconvicted for a drug offence. The use of these alternatives are effective in terms of the aforementioned criteria as it provides a sense of equality between different members of society tried for the same crimes, as they each have the capacity to be given the same diversionary program, as long as they satisfy the necessary criteria. The diversionary programs are very resource efficient as they typically cost less per day than the $205 necessary for the average prison inmate. It also provides a balance of rights for the victims and the offenders, as well as society as they are all benefiting from these programs. Charge negotiation, including plea bargaining, is where charges are either dropped, or reduced in return for an early guilty plea, as set out in the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999. There are many issues associated with charge negotiation, as shown through ‘True Plea on Justice', a Daily Telegraph article published on October 11th 2010, which details the plight of victims of crime, who are not told of the charge negotiation taking place, until they attend the trial. Under new guidelines from the state government, prosecutors must now complete a certificate detailing the consultation with victims and their families. This reform of current guidelines shows the inadequacies when regarding the balance of rights for victims, although this issues is being rectified. Charge negotiation is also effective when assessed for resource efficiency, as the cost of a sometimes lengthy trial is avoided. The role of the courts is imperative to having an effective legal system. The role of the courts is to ensure a fair trial ensues. Equality within the court system is a major concept, and is exemplified through the necessary impartiality of magistrates, judges and juries. Once again to ensure equity judges and magistrates are bound to follow precedent, or follow sentencing guidelines according to the Criminal Procedure Amendment (Sentencing Guidelines) Act 1998. Many of the crimes prosecuted are outlined in the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), which is accessible to all members of the public, under the rule of law. The courts attempt to use resources efficiently by using juries in all matters bar summary offences, and by requiring ‘leave to seek appeal' when appealing to the Supreme Court to ensure that court resources are not tied up in unsubstantiated appeals. The courts also provide a balance for victims, offenders and society, by providing necessary sentences the magistrate or judge feels is necessary to reflect the standards of society, ensure a fair outcome for victims and also to not be excessive to offenders. The criminal justice system in NSW is effective in the sense that it provides an equal, accessible and resource efficient system in which justice is achieved. It also provides an impartial field for offenders to be tried, and as such come to outcomes that benefit the victim and society as a whole. There have been recent developments to ensure this balance remains, as is the case of victims regarding charge negotiation, showing the development and thus effectiveness of the criminal justice system in reflecting societies beliefs and values.

Grand Apartheid in South Africa

Apartheid is often loosely divided into two parts: petty and grand apartheid. Petty Apartheid was the most visible side of Apartheid. It was the segregation of facilities based on race. Grand Apartheid refers to the underlying limitations placed on black South Africans’ access to land and political rights.  These were the laws that prevented black South Africans from even living in the same areas as white people. They also denied black Africans political representation, and, at its most extreme, citizenship in South Africa. Grand Apartheid hit its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, but most of the important land and political rights laws were passed soon after the institution of Apartheid in 1949. These laws also built on legislation that limited black South Africans’ mobility and access to land dating back as far as 1787. Denied Land and Citizenship In 1910, four previously separate colonies united to form the Union of South Africa and legislation to govern the â€Å"native† population soon followed. In 1913, the government passed the Land Act of 1913. This law made it illegal for black South Africans to own or even rent land outside of native reserves, which amounted to just 7-8% of South African land. (In 1936, that percentage was technically increased to 13.5%, but not all of that land was ever actually turned into reserves.)  Ã‚   After 1949, the government began moving to make these reserves the homelands of black South Africans. In 1951 the Bantu Authorities Act gave increased authority to tribal leaders in these reserves. There were 10 homesteads in South African and another 10 in what is today Namibia (then governed by South Africa). In 1959, the Bantu Self-Government Act made it possible for these homesteads to be self-governing but under the power of South Africa. In 1970, the Black Homelands Citizenship Act declared that black South Africans were citizens of their respective reserves and not citizens of South Africa, even those who had never lived in their homesteads. At the same time, the government moved to strip the few political rights black and colored individuals had in South Africa. By 1969, the only people permitted to vote in South Africa were those who were white. Urban Separations As white employers and homeowners wanted cheap black labor, they never tried to make all black South Africans live in the reserves. Instead, they enacted the 1951 Group Areas Act which divided urban areas by race and required the forced relocation of those people – usually black – who found themselves living in an area now designated for people of another race. Inevitably, the land allocated to those classified as black was furthest away from city centers, which meant long commutes to work in addition to poor living conditions. Blamed juvenile crime on the long absences of parents who had to travel so far to work. Limiting Mobility Several other laws limited the mobility of black South Africans. The first of these were the pass laws, which regulated the movement of black people in and out of European colonial settlements. Dutch colonists passed the first pass laws at the Cape in 1787, and more followed in the 19th century. These laws were intended to keep black Africans out of cities and other spaces, with the exception of laborers. In 1923, the government of South Africa passed the Native (Urban Areas) Act of 1923, which set up systems—including mandatory passes—to control the flow of black men between urban and rural areas. In 1952, these laws were replaced with the Natives Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act. Now all black South Africans, instead of just men, were required to carry passbooks at all times. Section 10 of this law also stated that black people who did not â€Å"belong† to a city – which was based on birth and employment – could stay there for no more than 72 hours.  The African National Congress protested these laws, and Nelson Mandela famously burned his passbook in protest at the Sharpeville Massacre.