The Deadliest Infectious Disease of All Time | Crash Course Lecture

Tuberculosis is often thought of as an old-timey disease, but in reality, it continues to kill over a million and a half people per year, despite its known cure. How did we get here, to a world where decades of work toward a cure stalled in its dissemination around the globe? And how can understanding the history of TB point us toward a different future? If you’ve been following author and TB-hater John Green in any way for the last year or so, this video is the deep dive you’ve been waiting for…
TB Fighters: You can learn more about the TB Fighters Community at tbfighters.org
This lecture was produced thanks to the generosity of the Crash Course audience, including those who fund us on Patreon, who’ve purchased Crash Course coins, and who share Crash Course with others. Your support lets us experiment with new formats, cover lesser-known topics, and go deeper than we ever have before. Thank you!
Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/1C...
Chapters:
The Deadliest Infectious Disease of All Time 00:00
Tuberculosis is Weird 3:36
"Man Got to Tell Himself He Understand" 7:05
The Allure of Consumption 14:46
The White Man's Plague 21:07
Treatments and the Cure 27:29
Where the Drugs Are Not 34:06
A Fundamental Mistrust 36:48
The World We Choose 45:34
The surprising history - and current dilemma - of TB
***
Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at / crashcourse
Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:
Leah H., David Fanska, Andrew Woods, Sean Saunders, DL Singfield, Ken Davidian, Stephen Akuffo, Toni Miles, Steve Segreto, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Laurel Stevens, Burt Humburg, Perry Joyce, Scott Harrison, Mark & Susan Billian, Alan Bridgeman, Breanna Bosso, Matt Curls, Jennifer Killen, Jon Allen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, team dorsey, Bernardo Garza, Trevin Beattie, Eric Koslow, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Jason Rostoker, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, Barrett & Laura Nuzum, Les Aker, William McGraw, Vaso, ClareG, Rizwan Kassim, Constance Urist, Alex Hackman, Pineapples of Solidarity, Katie Dean, Stephen McCandless, Thomas Greinert, Wai Jack Sin, Ian Dundore, Caleb Weeks
__
Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?
Instagram - / thecrashcourse
Facebook - / youtubecrashcourse
Twitter - / thecrashcourse
CC Kids: / crashcoursekids

[@crashcourse]

Hi. Here's a video that corrects some mistakes we made about fashion and offers a better context for the relationship between European fashion, gender, and romanticism in the context of consumption in the pre-microbial era. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3zHf4OZdq6VrJIsi=r0V60ZfgcUKDeKnZ Thanks to Nicole Rudolph for making such a well-researched (and generous) corrective video. There are some places where our sources disagree, but I really encourage you to watch her video as well. -John

[@mesina84]

Lol awesome I was about to share the link. Love it

[@briefisbest]

Thank you for taking the criticism well and making strides to fix the issue. I would love for this to be the standard for academic discourse.

[@janalu4067]

Hi guys- you have to know about a guy who developed an app to diagnose TB. He is a Bentonville high school senior, and it was covered on 5News 9 days ago. Cannot spell his name - Chondurra??? Just thought you should know 😊👍

[@thebookwyrmslair6757]

Thank you for sharing Nicole's video!! She's an AMAZING Historian with so many fascinating deep dives! I actually came to this video because of her analysis.

[@Calkholmes]

Thank you for this!

[@ramblinevilmushroom]

This is REALLY good. A series like this one, on diseases and their impact on history, culture, and politics, would be AMAZING.

[@msuddenly]

I agree!!!

[@crispian67]

Second that 🙏

[@sagegrey3910]

Definitely! Would love to learn more about that!

[@Kazaam1996]

I know this isn't *exactly* what you're looking for, but I feel like I need to shout out the criminally underrated mini series Vaccine: The Human Story, one of my favorite series on KZbin. Even though it focuses on how smallpox was eradicated, a large portion of it is dedicated to exploring the effect smallpox had on the world while it was around

[@maryjewell461]

Yes! I would watch the heck out of that.

[@Shiffles]

I recently learned that my husband's great great grandfather, an educational book publishing magnate, devoted himself to fighting tuberculosis in Canada a century ago. He funded our first sanitarium, public health screening campaigns, and scholarships for medical students who agreed to research the disease. Just think: a century from now, one of John's descendants might watch this lecture in a world without TB.

[@wewemcrhyne]

That’s so cool. He was amazing!

[@eriglaser]

I'm Canadian and would love to hear this story!

[@zvikomboreromukamba3389]

We'd only hope TB disappears

[@staytuned2L337]

​@@eriglaser same!

[@lauraw.7008]

Good hope,,, however more and more TB is resistant to more and more efforts to fight it.

[@DwynTomlinson]

My mother was a nurse at a TB Sanatorium in the early 40's. People went there to die. When I asked her how she didn't get sick, she said that the hospital made sure that the staff was well-fed and got lots of rest. What a truly radical concept, especially for nursing staff.

[@ClanWiE]

John, I applaud your restraint in making this less than an hr long

[@kristaolsen6236]

Really, this is just a preview for his book on Tuberculosis.

[@Lady-Mara]

Longer videos are way better, they can be more in depth.

[@KY_CPA]

Less than a semester long, at that!

[@debrachambers1304]

I'm surprised he didn't make an entire crash course on it.

[@parikshitr.rajpara5187]

These lectures are so good. In the era of short form content, this feels like a breath of fresh air.

[@willo7734]

Yeah really. I get really tired of the compressed, headline-only, meme culture that we live in these days. This was outstanding.

[@TheDeluche]

You can tell John is holding back his frustrations about speaking on this topic. His seriousness is piercing.

[@neonshower]

I work in the HR compliance department for a large corporation that contracts out healthcare workers to nursing homes and medical rehab facilities. Nearly half my job is reviewing their annual TB tests. The longer I have worked here, the more appalled I get as to how TB is disregarded by the US. I am often berated and verbally abused because these DOCTORS refuse to submit to “unnecessary testing for a disease that doesn’t exist anymore.” Let me tell you… IT DEFINITELY DOES. It is rare to be sure, but I have received positive results, taken from people who work with some of our most vulnerable populations. It terrifies me about how little they care about the safety of their patients, and how they have absolutely no idea how privileged they are to work for a company that will provide them testing for FREE when millions die of it worldwide. Even here in America, each test is massively expensive, running at the cheapest close to $100 for the skin test, which is not even as accurate as the blood test, which costs even more. Tuberculosis is not a disease of the past, it still exists all over the world, and it is our responsibility as humans to take this seriously, and to work towards ending it.

[@tomboyd7109]

I thank your company for the attention to TB. The resistance to testing and medications is probably not the Doctors themselves but from the pressure put on them by the INSURANCE companies.

[@kelly1827]

I was a paramedic for 21yrs, and my primary employer had us get annual PPD tests. When I took a second job as a per diem medic in a nearby service, I was surprised during orientation that there was no mention of PPD testing. I contacted their Occ Health department and asked if they needed copies of my tests from my primary job. The nurse said no, because the county where the hospital system was located hadn't had a TB case in 5yrs. I asked "Well, what about the other 2 counties the paramedics here cover? They both have huge agricultural areas with migrant farm workers, plus 2 state prisons and one federal one." She had no idea any employees worked outside the county. She thanked me and told me she'd look into it. The following week all the medics and the home health nurses, OTs, and PTs received an email saying "Based on updated information about TB cases in the areas you work, PPD testing is now required. Please see below for more info on testing..." 😬

[@fossilfighters101]

some history, some philosophy, some science, and a fundamental hope. great lecture john

[@Campfire_Bandit]

+

[@Kaalyn_HOW]

A little bit of literary brilliance as well. (John's, not most of the quoted authors.)

[@FakeBlocks]

As a resident Pulmonologist, I can assure you that TB is still a very real issue. I practice in Greece and have had patients with TB from Sudan,Afghanistan,Pakistan, and Somalia. Including strains resistant to the class 4x therapy.

[@Aphelia.]

Same in Turkey, especially in rural areas :(

[@socialist777]

India also

[@gomezmario.f]

I live in the Gambia, our neighborhood tailor died from it like 5 years ago, my best friend's dad died from it about 16 years ago.

[@justrandom4596]

Same with ethiopia , our medical wards are just TB wards at some seasons , the rise of HIV cases its devastating families

[@Vlasov45]

Why were they in Greece?

[@MiguelGarcia-ux3cr]

I remember back in 2019 when my girlfriend started coughing and had persistent inflamed lymph nodes. She’s been sick for 3 months but doctors can’t seem to manage it. One time I was with her, I joked around the possibility that she might have TB knowing it would be a bit far fetched considering she’s young and healthy. Then there came a time when her coughing got worse. She changed to a new doctor, got her xray done and it was clear, however, after completing yet another cycle of antibiotics, her illness never went away. Then one time, I asked her to get tested for TB and viola, it came out positive. It was one of the hardest part of our relationship trying to manage her disease but I can’t imagine how hard it was for her especially having to swallow multiple large tablets a day. It took her more than 6months to medicate and finally was free from TB just a few days before COVID-19 came out. She’s well and all today but the she developed some kind of phobia from taking medicine due to that experience.

[@elizabethcochran1009]

That stigma segment needs to be shared as a independent clip, if that isn't already planned. What a well written explanation that is empathetic to all with disease/illness. Bravo - really. Such a good segment.

[@jessicaengelbrecht1584]

I am five weeks into my TB treatment. I was vaccinated against it as a baby and received a booster at age 6. I was not even symptomatic when I was diagnosed and yet here we are. I live in the Western Cape which, I'm told, has the third highest number of active TB patients. Since COVID lock down ended that number has also increased. I am lucky because I have a very treatable form of TB.

[@vlogbrothers]

I am glad you were able to get diagnosed and know the precise form of TB you're fighting, but I'm so sorry you're going through this. Thanks for sharing your story with us. Phumeza also grew up in the Western Cape! -John

[@henkstinkbroek1]

Good luck Jessica! Wena, you’ve got this - fo’ sho’ ❤ I was also vaccinated with BCG at birth. Today still, all South Africans receive the Polio and BCG vaccines at birth. However, the efficacy of the BCG vaccine is unfortunately low, and unpredictable. We still don’t have an effective vaccine against TB - similar to HIV, TB is very good at hiding from our immune system. I was also diagnosed with TB a few years ago. I still remember all my body fluids turning orange from the Rifampicin haha. But all is well now. Like John mentioned - even without a vaccine, this is a very treatable illness! Be well - en lekker daggie verder 😊

[@kevindoran9389]

What does it feel like? If you don't mind me asking.

[@johnrula]

Good luck and thanks for sharing…peace

[@BCSoHappy]

When i was ten, living in San Francisco, I contacted tb from a school water fountain. It didn’t make me sick, thank goodness, but it did leave me with some scarring on my left lung. The medical detectives did a wonderful job in finding exactly the source of the infection which was so good. It would have been better had the school been cleaned up, food provided to the children, and our housing been improved. None of those things happened to us, for us, and I ´m sorry for the other children who weren’t as fortunate as I was.

[@fibonacci227]

SO proud of everyone who worked on this-the graphics, music, editing, production quality, and of course the tremendous script were all incredible. If I could buy you all a drink I would!

[@Campfire_Bandit]

+

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

Crash Course has a Patreon, and this year's Coin is coming up in the next few weeks. If you're able to, you can try to save up and join one of the fundraisers :)

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

Oh, also, if you're like me and can't join financially ATM, they have a call for 1min testimonials on their socials, look it up!

[@Reubachi]

Why are you proud of a KZbin video…?

[@christinelee2622]

I work in a government lab in the US, I process sputum samples, culture them and identify the bacteria using microscopy as well as molecular techniques. Many of the strains we identify are drug resistant and it is indeed frightening. I clicked on this video expecting to learn more about the microbe itself, but I was completely fascinated to learn about the social and cultural impacts the disease has had. This video was so interesting to me, I would love to watch more videos in this format on different diseases!

[@marieonishenko]

As a disabled and chronically ill person I really appreciate you talking about the stigma. I have many diagnosed health issues and honestly the stigma can be some of the most frustrating parts of being chronically ill. If I had a nickel for every time I was told yoga would change my life I'd probably only have 2 dollars, which isn't much but it's annoying I'd even have that much.

[@geisaflops]

I am currently 5 months into my tb treatment. It hasn't been easy. To be honest, I wasn't even aware that tb was still so prevalent. I have no idea how I got it. I am from a developed European Country, and had had the privilege of being oblivious to it for most of my life. I felt ill, but I never even fathomed that it could be tb. I went to the doctor several times before I was even diagnosed with it. The sentence "We suspect you have tuberculosis, but don't worry, it can be cured." feels scary to hear. Since so much time had elapsed, my lung was already in pretty bad shape. To add insult to injury, I also had an allergic reaction to one of my medications. Thankfully, I am young, and I am not a smoker or drinker. Most of all, I am insanely lucky to be in a country with a good healthcare service and a strict treatment plan for tuberculosis. I have been making a good recovery, but this medication is no joke!! It brings one down really badly!! I still haven't been able to quite get over the feeling that I am being punished for something. I was finally seeing the light after a lot of therapy for a severe depressive episode. When I got the diagnosis, it was just... And yes, the stigma is real.. Very real... Keep healthy everyone. Let's fight this!!! 💪💪

[@cyborgfalcon]

Wishing you a swift recovery!

[@danilil6969]

I wish the best for u bro! I have Asthma and was a TB patient (2019)... my scar is on my right lung but I am considered by my doctors as fit. I know how u are feeling right now but just keep fighting!

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

You already know this, but here it is again: this disease says nothing about you! It doesn't reflect your value as a person, your karma, whether you're good or bad, or anything of this sort!! Anyone that tells you otherwise is plain wrong, and should probably be spammed with links to this video 😉

[@Laura-kl7vi]

Thanks for telling us your story. It binds us all together as human beings that it can happen to anyone, even people in developed countries with widespread, decent nutrition, housing and healthcare. Wishing you a complete, swift, straightforward (for now on) recovery in spirit and body. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.

[@Kelly_C]

hey at least it'll be a good dinner party story in a few years!

[@jeanettegirard2802]

This was fantastic. I am a physician and one thing I have always felt is that medicine isn't just about the science. It's about the people, the culture, and the politics surrounding people. Paul Farmer was truly an inspiration and had a big impact on me in undergrad that has followed me through my career. The history of TB and many other diseases is fascinating and a study into human thought and societal structures. I was impressed by this video and truly appreciate you taking the time to delve into it in such detail.

[@Laura-kl7vi]

Great comment (and video). My favorite book was the biography "Mountains Beyond Mountains", about Paul Farmer. What an amazing human.

[@miriamlevenson9430]

paul farmer!! yes!!!

[@vhs10907]

Mine, too! I have read it three times, and I have dozens of tabs on pages that I favored. Paul Farmer was amazing as you say!@@Laura-kl7vi

[@ileanettesantiago5405]

I loved how you say disease does not care about morality, I wish everybody was able to hear it as well. Bad things happen to good people all the time. Keep up the good work. This is an amazing lecture. Thank you.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

I have a copy of my Great Great Grandfather's old medical manuals....talking about stigma...in the section about pregnancy it was recommended that pregnant women "not stare at disfigured or diseased people for prolonged periods of time as it might impart on the developing fetus"

[@ctuero]

youve seen the teen author era john, the vlogbrother era john, the gamer/FIFA era john. and now. we OFFICIALLY enter the TB era john and im soooo excited for this launch.

[@Someone-cd7yi]

the tuberculocene

[@Roll587]

I absolutely love how you wrote this comment.

[@curiousfirely]

Yaass 👏👏 And I am here for it. Where John uses the caring community that he has built to actively and visibly fight TB.

[@mmead7904]

In my college biology class, my teacher had us each to a report on an infectious disease and I did TB. I was one of the last students to present and after class I found my teacher crying because her aunt had contracted TB on a trip to South Africa and later died from the infection. My report had hit close to home for her. I credit that project on shaping my world view on medicine and why I want to study infectious diseases because I want to see a world where TB is no longer a threat.

[@rzpogi]

In the Philippines, TB treatments are free except antibiotic-resistant TB and even those have heavy discounts. One just shows up at government hospitals or government health centers, go through the appropriate tests(very affordable) and get his meds for free.

[@KinoYukino]

Thankfully here in Indonesia, even the Drug-Resistant one is also free. Hopefully it's going to be free there soon!

[@e.digitiminimii]

We had a patient who was diagnosed with TB but never came back for a follow up after the initial diagnosis…. 6 month later he came back with dyspnea, chronic cough and hemoptysis. After ordering a lung x-ray that dot from 6 months ago took over his left whole lung… There are treatments! So if caught early you can live a long life! Please get treated 🙏🙏

[@fungirl917]

I contracted TB from an active patient in the healthcare setting. It shocked me how many of my coworkers had inactive TB. The pulmonologist I was sent to was a joke. And my primary seemed scared of me after I told him I was positive but inactive. He was not useful in helping me understand. This is video has given me more information and understanding than I received seeing TWO doctors in the US. Thank you

[@Exactly_Ash]

I worked as an infectious disease epidemiologist and did TB case management. In our jurisdiction, we went to the patient for DOT. After two weeks of in person DOT, we usually switched over to video DOT. The patient would jump on a Skype/Zoom call with me and I’d watch them take their meds that way. The only patients who had in person DOT for the entire 6-9 months were deemed to be at very high risk for nonadherence. I only had one, a refugee from Afghanistan, who was very technologically challenged. Most of the time I would drop off a weeks worth of meds at a time, parsed out into daily packets with the date written on them. I kept it to a week so I could come by and check on them, talk to them about how they’re feeling, and check for any side effects. Those meds can do a number on the body, particularly on the liver. We tried to make compliance as easy as possible, scheduling appointments with their infectious disease doctor, refilling their medications, doing video DOT whenever possible. The absolute joy on the patients face when I told them they were done with their treatment made up for all of the challenges.

[@agilemind6241]

Yes, DOTs were designed for the world of community healthcare where nurses & doctors visited their patients rather than the patients visiting them. While there is definitely benefits to centralization of healthcare, I can't shake the feeling we have lost something by moving away from that model.

[@LonDanDoc]

I was a 1st year med student when I was diagnosed randomly whilst having my occupational health check ups. I can't describe how useful video dot is. I massively managed to improve my compliance to the point where the guy checking my vdot stopped and didn't realise I had completed treatment. I feel most healthcare workers severely underestimate how difficult it is to be 'adherent' or 'compliant' to a 6month course of any medication. The tb meds are not easy to take, they cause a bunch of side effects and they have to be taken at very specific times of the day. I can't deny that many days I didn't take my medication on time or completely missed taking them despite suffering practically no side effects. I didn't do this because I wanted to but simply because saying to a patient that medication has to be taken either one hour before or two hours after eating can be a hassle AND in my case and many others patients can suffer from other diseases including learning difficulties or depression which can make recording whether you've taken medication a struggle. I don't understand when there are so many sufferers the option to join a WhatsApp group chat with other patients isn't made an option. Something to boost morale, discuss with other patients how they deal with side effects and other difficulties. I still feel medicine has an extremely paternalistic approach and we don't do nearly enough to involve patients in healthcare. Let's see where the future takes up. I always hope for the best .

[@_letstartariot]

I am actually surprised an epidemiologist does this type of task. I’m an RN, I have done community case management of psychiatric patients on community treatment orders. Did the exact same things as you mentioned above, though some patients included receiving a long acting intramuscular antipsychotic injection. Every 2 weeks we (nurses on the team, the social workers and psychologists obviously couldn’t do this part) would go and give them the injection. If they didn’t abide by the treatment order, they would be forced into involuntary admission/72 hour hold. They are considered a danger to themselves or others if they refused to abide. I am curious, what were the consequences for non compliance with the TB treatment you oversaw?

[@bluevol1976]

I’m so glad Phumeza got better and now can help others with this. I can’t imagine the pain and frustration she went through. God bless her and Doctors Without Borders.

[@lyndagabriel6539]

The segment on stigma is bang on. When I had cancer 10 years ago, sometimes the questions I was asked were hard to distinguish from a charge of "moral frailty"... they were "what did you do to cause this" thinly disguised as concern. Thanks for this video, I've always been fascinated by TB and had the opportunity to work with WHO for decades on TB meds.

[@yodelingyak]

When I was in Peace Corps in Kenya, I worked with deaf and hard of hearing kids. Many of the kids had become deaf after a medical illness including TB. I was in Kenya from 2010-2013. A few years ago I found out that one of my favorite students passed from TB. He was still a teenager. I'm ashamed to admit that I honestly didn't realize that people still died from it until then. Loteku was a kid whose spirit shined so brightly and it's maddening that if the world was paying more attention, he'd still be here. Thanks to John for bringing more awareness to this. It's long overdue

[@Janccg]

I would like to deeply thank you and your team for all the work you put into it. My mother died of TB and we (including her physician) were baffled as to why she had the disease. She was in and out of the hospital for 2 years and nobody could tell her what she had. Diagnosis varied from Anemia, Stress and Lupus. It’s was not until she had to be rushed into the hospital for shortness of breath , the doctors did an X-ray and found her lungs were already highly compromised. They tried to operate to save her, but the bacteria was already invaded the rest of her body. She died the next day, without getting the chance to say goodbye. Nothing will eliminate the pain, but now… Just as the tiger sleeps, the bird lands, I understand. Thank you.

[@hernanifarias5356]

My grandparents died in 1941 and 1943 from TB. my father was raised by his grandmother. This video is the best explanation of Tb at a human level not just a medical one. thank you

[@codpyry]

The bit about the parents hearing the "reason" why their child has leukemia hit me really hard. That's horrifying

[@lindsaypeets6104]

Wow, as a chronically ill, disabled person, I was not expecting this to hit a me as emotionally as it did. Thank you.

[@vlogbrothers]

Hi. Thanks for watching our first ever crash course lecture. If you enjoyed the video, please share it! Big thanks to everyone who worked on this project, and especially to our patrons who made it possible at patreon.com/crashcourse Lastly, if you want to join our community of TB Fighters, check out tbfighters.org -John

[@fossilfighters101]

tb fighters have a posse! (also john do you want to pin this?)

[@SizzleitupwithSara]

+++

[@blindfishideas]

Thank you for making this video, please more like it

[@stephanniecb]

Posse member, reporting for duty

[@yummyoreo]

+

[@KoiduKeiuKasari]

My uncle died of TB in 1998. I still remember after his death being a small child, and getting an x-ray and blood tests done in a dingy little clinic with barely any windows. It was really traumatic, but it was healthcare that was available to me in a tiny northeastern European country that had only just regained independence. I don't see why that cannot be provided to all. Pharmaceutical companies keeping patents for disease cures for profit is completely inhuman and lacking any morals. I'll stop here. Thank you for the lecture, it was really eye-opening.

[@lailedcat]

17:38 a little fact check here - Charlotte Brontë had four sisters, and a brother. Maria, Elizabeth, Emily, Anne, and probably Branwell all seem to have died due to tuberculosis (the latter’s case is confounded somewhat by alcoholism and addiction). Charlotte’s cause of death was listed as tuberculosis, but there seems to be a great deal of disagreement as to what actually killed her. Either way, it seems likely that all *four* of Charlotte’s sisters and her brother were killed by tuberculosis, and officially so did Charlotte. Interestingly, the Brontë Society and parsonage museum website (I’ve been to the museum in the Brontë house in Haworth! It’s very interesting and I recommend it) currently cites TB as the cause of death in all siblings except Charlotte, where she is only described as having died early in her pregnancy. In any case, it seems very likely that tuberculosis killed even more of the Brontës than stated here, which only strengthens John’s point, I think. This is a really fascinating and important lecture. Thinking of how my dad had tuberculosis as a kid, and spent some of his youth in a sanitarium run by strict nuns. I should ask him more about it.

[@isyrzy]

Thank you Sir for this comprehensive video on tuberculosis. As a Health Inspector with Malaysia's TB Unit under the Ministry of Health, I would like to provide some factual updates on the TB situation in our country based on the latest available data. In 2021, Malaysia reported 27,105 new TB cases and 1,876 deaths due to TB (Source: Global Tuberculosis Report 2022, WHO). While this shows a declining trend compared to previous years, the burden remains significant. Malaysia is classified as a high TB burden country by the World Health Organization. One concerning factor is the rise of drug-resistant TB cases in Malaysia. In 2021, there were 339 cases of rifampicin-resistant TB reported, a 28% increase from 2020 (Source: Malaysia TB Report 2021, Ministry of Health). Drug resistance poses immense treatment challenges and threatens our efforts to control TB spread effectively. The video accurately highlights stigma as a major barrier. In Malaysia, misconceptions about TB being exclusively a disease of the poor and malnourished remain prevalent in certain communities, deterring people from seeking prompt testing and treatment. Our public education programs are actively working to dispel such myths. On a positive note, Malaysia has made good progress in scaling up TB preventive treatment for those with latent TB infection, especially individuals with HIV. This proactive approach helps cut future transmission cycles. However, we need to accelerate efforts to find the remaining "missing" undiagnosed TB cases in the community through active case finding interventions. I agree that global underinvestment in new TB drug research is hugely concerning given rising drug resistance. As an upper-middle income nation, Malaysia can also step up contribution towards incentives for pharmaceutical innovation in this area through research funding and public-private partnerships. Controlling a deadly airborne disease like TB requires a multi-pronged effort covering aspects like early diagnosis, treatment adherence support, infection control, preventive therapy, poverty alleviation and multi-sectoral collaboration. Malaysia remains committed to pursuing such an approach to eventually eliminate TB as a public health threat in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Global solidarity and equitable access to new TB tools will be crucial to get us there.

[@Fomites]

Thanks for your input.

[@ellismartiskainen7729]

thank you for sharing this information!

[@MsBreault1]

17 years ago you published a Brotherhood 2.0 video in which you said to Hank that “You are excellent at living in a way that is commensurate with your values, whereas I am not.” That’s not true anymore (if it was ever true then). This video, this series, this work you continue to do on eradicating TB… it’s so amazing, and so big. And it took the efforts of many people to make happen and I’m so proud of the team that put this together. And you, John, you are surely living in a way that is commensurate to your values. This is big work, and demonstrates big values, and hopefully will push the rock of big change. DFTBA. We Nerdfighters are so proud of you.

[@g0d5m15t4k3]

Fascinating story! My dad worked at a facility that began it's life as a TB Clinic. The Ohio State Sanitarium for Tuberculosis. I've toured the buildings several times over the years. It's always interesting to see how technologically advanced it actually was for it's time. It's own steam turbines to generate electricity, for example. And the architectural design made to optimize airflow and light. When COVID hit, you bet my dad was on the phone with me stressing the importance of sanitation, social distancing, and proper use of face masks. He said something to the effect of "We've seen this before. We need to take it seriously." I interpreted it as basically saying "I retired from an old TB hospital, an airborne illness will absolutely mess you up. Learn from history!" 😅 Thank you again for this deep dive!

[@pedrostormrage]

8:18 "Man got to tell himself he understand(s)" That explains a lot about human nature, including our tendency to find explanations for everything, despite often times not having justifications or evidence that support such explanations. We can't bear the unknown; we just need to find some semblance of control and comfort in life (even if it's just an illusion).

[@erraticonteuse]

When I was in high school, one of my best friends, an adoptee from Thailand, missed our whole sophomore year because her latent TB became activated. This was a private school in Massachusetts. Her parents had money and insurance, and the idea that anything short of cancer could keep someone out of action (as it were) for so long was so alien to us. We didn’t understand at the time what she was up against.

[@Synesthesia_chan]

In my head John didn't have to research any of this and I'm loving the idea that he can just bust out an hour's lecture on TB. Keep fighting the good fight!

[@steggopotamus]

I think you're at least 80% correct.

[@Azremodehar]

John, I feel the need to inform you that the eyelash lengthening drug was originally developed as a treatment for glaucoma. The eyelash thing is a profitable side-effect.

[@9teenfifty2]

john, this video is fantastic. a series like this of videos on the most prolific diseases throughout history and how they continue to affect us today would have an astronomical impact on public perception and understanding. you are the voice of a generation!! i'd love to see you make a video on the neglected tropical diseases -- it's a topic that's very important to me, and one i think you could really shed a lot of light on!

[@Beauweir]

True story my mom was into Louise Hay and had her "You Can Heal Your Body" book and hammered it into my head that I got (and almost died from) TB cause I was wasting away from selfishness. Now I'm pretty much in therapy for life.

[@KristopherReed]

I don't say this lightly, but this is one of the best things I've ever watched.

[@charlesbrentner4611]

My mom (born 1943) worked in a TB Hospital as a young woman.

[@g96bento]

Just here to say, absolutely, please do more. The pacing, progression, and writing are phenomenal at transfer of knowledge and keeping attention.

[@eriglaser]

My best friend's mom died of lung cancer that started in her tuberculosis scar. Thank you for bringing attention to this deadly disease that affects so many even if they recover from it. I hope with your work we can make a world where no one has to suffer from a curable disease in the first place.

[@sdavis5436]

I'm reminded of a poem by Edna St Vincent Millay where she wrote: "Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies." She described the way that children see death as something that happens only to other people, to people whose stories are over, who are no longer needed, who aren't "us." It's a natural stage of human development to explain death in a way that is organized rather than random and unfair, and often, life events will upend that view and disrupt us, and to Edna, that was the end of childhood.

[@josevillaneda7881]

Took out Arthur Morgan 😭

[@federicofuentes6146]

Surprisingly, I had never run into one of your videos before. This one is great, just incredibly engaging and well researched, I would watch as many of these as you can produce.

[@vacationbibl3school]

john being so passionate about TB helps me with the trauma of having dealt with the disease so much. the stigmatization truly is worse than the disease itself. brilliant video!

[@amarsaeed9042]

As a fan of vlogbrothers and John Green, and as a doctor planning on switching to public health and infectious diseases I'm really looking forward to this video and also the book John is working on! P.S. I would really like to become a part of the team that works on the health and biology side of crash course, if someone could guide me as to how I can apply for a position I would really appreciate it. I am a doctor working in Kashmir, India currently. Thanks, super excited!

[@Kaalyn_HOW]

Their overseeing company - Complexly - has a website and it hosts job listings. And potentially contact info if there's no currently available one for you specifically :)

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

Complexly, the company that makes Crash Course, SciShow, and a bunch of other shows has a website. There are a few different options to contact there

[@Noneofyourbyisness]

I wish you well ❤

[@amarsaeed9042]

Thank you so much for the information all of you!! Means a lot

[@mayam9575]

My grandfather is from Kashmir and 8 out of his ten siblings died from treatable bacterial diseases because they were too poor to get treatment. Thank you for doing what you are doing!

[@cbbcbb6803]

One of the most important videos that I have ever watched. The science and history and sociology and politics and culture and so on contained in this video is amazing. Also, the kindness and humanity in this is heart warming. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your work. I will share this with everyone I can think of.

[@stan1027]

I would not exist, had it not been for the fact that tuberculosis exists. My parents met when they were both patients in the same TB sanitorium! My mother got very sick, but recovered. My father recovered rather quickly.

[@mrudulasrivatsa]

John green really back at it again once again with CC history

[@Abdus_VGC]

I am now about to complete my PhD in Public relations and thanks to this guy who rekindled my love for history with his Crash Course US and World history. I still visit back to watch those lectures, may God bless everyone on Crash Course. Will be happy to work with you amazing people and contribute to your endeavours. Lots of love from Bengaluru India and Richmond Virginia

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

Hey, you can join their campaign by sending in a photo or 1min video! It's the top post on their socials :)

[@Kelly_C]

congrats!!! I've never heard of someone getting a PhD in public relations, what's your dissertation on? what kind of job does that get you?

[@DipayanPyne94]

Wow. Public Relations ? I see ! Can you tell me what your field is about ? Just curious. I have heard of both Public Relations and Corporate Relations. Don't know anything about either. Would love to learn ! Thanks !

[@Abdus_VGC]

​@@NinaDmytraczenkoThat's cool, will do it!

[@RAtankers]

HIV lecture please

[@moniquewrites9046]

Thank you Mr. Green for honoring humanity with such grace and informative care.

[@thementallywell7897]

My first real encounter with how dangerous TB was actually from Red Dead Redemption 2. After playing that wonderful piece of art I started researching the disease and was mortified! It truly is, at once a beautiful strip of history painting books and oral tales in mysticism, and also a terrifying, dark and most absolute tragedy: indicative of our worst inclinations as a thinking species, as well as a truth barking mad our feet, showing us our folly. This was a wonderful video!

[@renerpho]

Funny what good some random piece of media (be it a movie, or a game) can do.

[@sbentler6830]

My mother tested positive in the 1950’s, but was not found to have an actively infectious case. X-rays of her lungs showed extensive scarring so it was considered that she had an active case as a child. There was a serious campaign in the U.S. due the 50’s to eliminate the disease. My mother was forced to enter a sanatorium for treatment. In the sanatorium she was discovered to be pregnant. She was told that she was required to have an abortion. (Pregnancy and active tuberculosis can be fatal). She called her obstetrician who counseled her to leave, because he understood she was not actively infectious. Staff at the sanatorium advised my mother that no one would treat her if she left. She left anyway. That pregnancy was me. My mother did her best throughout her life to avoid doctors, though my siblings and I were always taken to a GP if a problem developed. Stigma is a terrible, unnecessary curse.

[@brookeworley5140]

It's nice to hear all of John's TB facts in one place, instead of getting drip-fed them through Shorts 😂😂

[@RussianwithDasha]

Thanks for such an informative video! I almost died of tuberculosis when I was 23 years old. I found out that I was sick when the infection had already affected both lungs, and a hole with a diameter of 3.5 centimeters had formed in the left lung. It took me a year to recover. I wish everyone who is fighting tuberculosis to stay strong and believe in themselves! The fastest way to recovery is to stay positive and believe that anything is possible. Our bodies sometimes do amazing things and heal (with the help of doctors and medical treatment, of course).

[@juliadriscoll9210]

I want to note that the connection between corsets and TB might be somewhat valid, but dress historians have pretty much debunked the many myths of tightly laced corsets as a common practice. Most women wearing corsets had to do much more physical work than anyone does today. ALL WHILE WEARING CORSETS! The look of small waists in 19th century fashion was more often achieved by padding garments to achieve dramatic proportion differences between waist & and hips, for example. So perhaps the romanticization of TB affected what dress silhouettes were considered fashionable, but that fashion rarely resulted in an actual inability to breathe by corset wearers. Most of our myths about the inability to breathe in a corset are based on 19th century misogynistic articles mocking women's clothing. Want to know more? I recommend starting with Abby Cox's KZbin channel.

[@juliadriscoll9210]

@AbbyCox

[@planetaryg0]

was just thinking this precisely!!

[@esverker7018]

Yeah I wasn't happy to hear that in the video. It's been pretty well established that "corsets are a bad irrational choice that limited oxygen" is a total myth. Honestly shocked me that such a detailed video would mess up that blatantly. Makes me doubt the rest of the video if that's how in-depth their research is oof.

[@jus4795]

I looked for this comment as soon as I heard about corsets in the video.

[@lisam5744]

And Bernadette Banner has done several videos on the subject on her channel, too.

[@michnish]

I can't believe that some guys I started watching in university because of a funny song about Harry Potter would accomplish so much. You guys are the embodiment of the good the internet can bring. I'm happy you took us along for the ride.

[@katydidiy]

My great uncle brought TB home with him from WWII. He spent 2 additional yrs away from his family. Thanks for one of the most interesting talks ever❤

[@snazzydrew]

The section on "The Allure of Consumption" is actually mind-boggling!!!!!!!!

[@eliseleonard3477]

This was absolutely great. As a physician I can report it’s consistent with the science I know. More of this please! A follow-up focused on the Native American experience of TB would be excellent.

[@reinamiranova8792]

As someone who keeps an eye on my state's status with MDR TB, thank you thank you for raising awareness about TB in the modern world.

[@jakeking3859]

I am so glad that you finally got to make this video. I know how much you care about this topic. Phumeza's story is so heartbreaking, but I am glad that she has survived, and is going on to do such great things. I hope that these videos continue to raise awareness and support for this issue.

[@LetsTalkAboutPrepping]

This video hits different after todays reports on TB outbreaks at the immigrant shelters in chicago...

[@lauraw.7008]

I was diagnosed in the 70’s. Received a big bottle of Isonyazid(sp?) and sent home with a sixth month supply… I took it every single day & got my meds refilled for the next 6 months - a whole years total. I was so afraid of what it could do if I didn’t take it. Surprisingly my TB was discovered when I wanted to work in a day care. The arm test definitely said I had TB.

[@roosacle]

We still do the injection/arm test in home health ❤

[@7timestheawesome]

I’ve been doing some family history research and found that my great-great grandfather died of TB when my great-grandmother was a child. Their family had traveled to the mountains in NY to get cleaner air to help him. On the other side of my family, my great-great grandmother was committed to an asylum that had originally been built for TB patients. I realize that so many of us in the US probably only have to go back a few generations to see how massively this disease influenced our American experience and yet, we’ve mostly forgotten this society-shifting disease. I’m very excited at the prospect of TB becoming a similarly forgotten disease in the rest of the world. Great work, John and the team!

[@TheTravellingMurse]

Thank you so much for this. I spent a year working as a nurse in Papau New Guinea and saw many avoidable TB deaths, and it warms to heart yo hear others be so passionate about something that can be entirely stopped

[@BetzalelGanot]

I love this format! Please do more videos like this. Just to be clear, TB Fighters fight *against* TB. Like fire fighters, not like nerdfighters.

[@Symphing12]

I have, as a Nerdfighter, heard you say many of these things, but this is the first time I'm hearing it all at once. Truly a masterpiece of Crash Course that I would like to show my music students. It's relevant to us all.

[@Cuck-n-bull]

Man the Stigma part of this really sticks with me, my mom has lupus and got sick when i was young. I remember people blaming her for her illness, and pulling away from our family.

[@chickensalad3535]

How needlessly cruel.

[@barceloj]

Great video! My mom survived TB in the 50’s in Chile. She is now almost 80 and healthy. Really amazing learning more about the desease and how we can help people to have the same outcome my mom had 70 years ago.

[@kasstlekrasher5468]

John, please. Enjoy me yelling as you spoke, at my husband, all about how much I loathe TB. I have been fascinated by the disease for years, and had a wide understanding of centuries of culture though the lense of illnesses due to my interest. The only thing I had never come across was the fact it was treated as a "white man's illness" my gosh!!! Thank you so much for the work and sharing. I was screaming from the bottom of my lungs, rooting for you and the work you have put in on this. I'm so proud of you and everyone fighting on the front lines. I cannot thank you enough for bringing more and more attention to it.

[@janmelantu7490]

I find the recurring theme of “treatment restrictions initially improve outcomes but have long-term downsides” fascinating. Sanitariums, DOTS, etc. Perhaps there’s a lesson we can learn in how we set up healthcare systems.

[@tobiasherbst8894]

A video about illness, death and hope in the face of it all. A true John Green story! ❤

[@freddiesimmons1394]

Of course I watched this. You are worth my respect, John. You know we trust you, and you treat that trust well.

[@hesham8]

I’m certain I wouldn’t be here today if I lived in another time or country. I contracted latent tuberculosis on a trip to Saudi Arabia when I was 11 or 12. Back in the states, I took a year-long (or so?) medication to fight it.

[@catnipper56]

I am here today because my parents met in a TB Sanitarium. This was in the late 1940s - in the 1950 Census, those patients were labeled "inmates" in the government census (talk about stigma). Thankfully my parents lived because of streptomycin as an experiemental drug. My mother was previously a college student when she was diagnosed with TB, She said it was lonely as no one would come near you. Some of the treatments they had were brutal and left scarred lung tissue for life. So in a peculiar sort of way, I am thankful for TB and because of it I am here - however it was a brutal disease.

[@BushidoMauve]

RIP Arthur Morgan.

[@nenben8759]

finally, john green can tell me about tuberculosis for the very first time! never before have i heard john green talking ahout tuberculosis before now

[@shelbiszikula3052]

i love that john is finally able to give us all this info about tuberculosis in one easy place! thank you so much to the team and john for compiling this and always educating us! 😊

[@FoxgloveFlower]

This was world-shattering. I have learned so much that I did not know, I have expanded my horizons, and I can only imagine what we can do with this information. Thank you John Green.

[@pauljoseph3081]

PTB left a scar on my left lung that prohibited me from applying jobs overseas despite being cleared and healthy for a very long time. I got it from my father who was a jeepney driver, a type of public transportation in the Philippines. We were poor, and he was sharing his food to a younger me to save money. His lungs were so damaged by TB that when he grew older it turned into Emphysema, then it turned out to be a lifetime disease. We had to buy an oxygen tank every now and then, then we bought a machine that supplies oxygen. And all the different medicines ranging from inhalers to maintenance took an awful lot of money, forcing me to stop schooling. When he gets sick, even just a simple flu, we had to rush him to ICU coz the shortness of breath is something not to be taken lightly, and gets hospitalised more than 5 a year. He eventually passed away at age 78, he was almost bedridden at 60. Managing complications from TB is no joke.

[@allister.trudel]

thanks for sharing about that, I'm sorry to hear how much he struggled as a result of TB, even once "cured"

[@brandyphillips4336]

This video is so interesting and wonderfully done. I love how John Green explains this. This subject is near and dear to my heart because my great grandmother died from TB and my grandma was so young only 2 when her mom died. 😢 I love how he explains how humans must know why. The why fuels how we view the world and how we understand the world.

[@merlingrey2568]

a wonderfully well produced video, impressively shortened to under an hour while hitting all the big points. kinda a sidenote, but the handwriting on the chalkboard is lovely to look at. a great lecture, thank you John!

[@bwezil]

Yall I clicked on this thinking it was gonna be a short video, and seeing it as a nearly WHOLE HOUR documentary shocked me. It’s like all those smaller videos on the vlogbrothers channel have been John revving up and gaining power to commune with the rest of his team to summon such a monumental project. This will help educate a lot of people- thank you for making this

[@thegurw1994]

Yeah, he's actually been hyping this for a bit now, this is the first of Crash Course's new series, Lectures. They're all going to be deep dives like this, and the first had to be on John's passion project of TB eradication.

[@kinexkid]

As someone who suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, i would love to see a full length video on it and other degenerative diseases. All my life i was told im too young to be having back pain and i need to just toughen up. Well, 3 years ago i was finally taken seriously and had an mri that showed all the discs in my lumbar region were bulging and degenerative, and i had a 3 mm wide subdural arachnoid cyst on my L4/5

[@Laura-kl7vi]

I concur. Because the pain and debility of people with EDS and, more broadly, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, is not taken seriously-too many MDs don't know about it. I wonder if CC will ask for suggestions for topics.

[@whoknows-uc1bz]

I agree, I've got h-EDS too along with a list of other comorbidities. Not only would I love more awareness for it and other similar conditions but I'd also love for it to be taken more seriously (the awareness would help). There are other conditions that aren't as common but are well known but EDS and HSD are definitely seen as rarer by the medical community. Also I think it's just really interesting

[@nicholasporto3124]

One of the best KZbin videos I've ever seen. Thank you for making me cry

[@thizizliz]

John, not only are you a terrific writer, but an amazing teacher. I worked in a medical manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN in the late 80s- early 90s. One of the managers contracted TB - it was shocking. I'd taken TB tests in order to keep my day care license active in Minnesota but had no idea it was still an active disease. Thank you for your passion and the valuable information. I'm so glad to be inoculated against it.

[@LegendOfKitty]

I have a coworker who had contracted TB. He told me about the long treatment, having to be supervised when taking medications, etc. I can't imagine getting it. It sounds so awful.

[@LegendOfKitty]

Just an extra blip, I loved this video and I would love more longer lecture series. I'm a history nerd so anything like this would be right up my alley, but I like science (even if I have trouble with more advanced stuff) too, especially astronomy. I just like learning in general so whatever you want to do, I'll probably watch it to the end.

[@willmendoza8498]

Love the lecture format. This is the kind of content we need more of. I also love Nerdfighteria’s dedication to this cause

[@kiranmanoj9250]

Exceptional presentation! We want more videos like this combining history and authentic science with deep reasearch! As a budding microbiologist the things you said of lack of pathological history studies are really true! Kudos to the effort and i want more videos like this! So differently from earlier crash course videos and may be tell me how hank sir is doing too if you reply to it?!

[@user-ck3uu8rj3x]

Thank you for a very interesting and informative video. As a European I appreciate your non- sensational style of presentation. Many thanks.