disease in the background contemplation

[burntcopper]

Tuberculosis. Or TB, as we more commonly know it.

Odd thing. In the UK, it's an ever-present thing. Not an 'argh, we have contagion', but everyone knows about it. Unless you're an immigrant, everyone - and I mean *everyone* has the inoculation scar on their arm they got at 15, which was bloody painful and for most people, puss-ridden until it healed. We learn maybe a tiny bit about it in school as one of the diseases of history, but that's about it. The most we really know about it is that it's a disease to be - not wanted. Like measles, but more severe, and everyone can find their TB / BCG scar in two seconds.

I know in America you don't get inoculated, so how is it treated/viewed there?

Comments

[missiedith.livejournal.com]

My year at school all got theirs when they were 13. Months of fun punching people in the arm ensued. And I can't actually find my scar, it's so tiny, but I had mine when I was 9 due to the living abroad thing, and thus managed to avoid the arm-punching.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

yeah, the two people (aside from one who came up naturally immune in the tests) in my class who'd been inoculated as kids - I was one, the other had lived in the UAE - have practically nothing, you tend to go '...er, is that slightly discoloured mark it?' But we did sulk as we had no fun pus stories to tell.

[missiedith.livejournal.com]

I just felt smug instead. And glad I had no younger brother. I swear, those with younger brothers around to provide extra punching have noticeably larger scars. There should be a study on this.