Coughing Although Negative Covid-19, Beware of TB, Because Symptoms Are Similar

Report from Tribunnews.com Journalist, Rina Ayu

TRIBUNNEWS.COM, JAKARTA – Besides Covid-19, Tuberculosis infectious disease (TB) also needs to be watched out.

Tuberculosis and Covid-19 have similar symptoms, namely cough and fever.

However, the Director for Prevention and Control of Direct Communicable Diseases at the Directorate General of P2P of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that one of the most common symptoms occurs in sufferers. TBC is a cough for up to two weeks.

“We (the Ministry of Health) urge people who have symptoms or their families who have cough symptoms for more than 2 weeks, not to recover with regular cough medicine to immediately go to a health service facility,” he said during a virtual media gathering activity on Tuberculosis Day 2021, Tuesday ( 23/3/2021).

Also read: Declared negative through tests, but still experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, is it contagious?

Currently, according to Nadia, in reducing the rate of transmission Covid-19, in the hospital and the health facility examination room Covid-19 and TBC separate.

“You don’t need to be afraid to go to the puskesmas or hospital to have your condition checked,” ordered Nadia.

Meanwhile, Lung Doctor and Former Director of WHO Southeast Asia, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, explained that in identifying whether someone is infected with Covid-19 or TBC, direct examination cannot only be carried out.

Also read: 313 Regencies and Cities in Indonesia Enter the Orange Covid-19 Zone

A person who coughs and has a fever but test results Covid-19 negative, suspect TBC so it is advisable to have a follow-up to do a sputum check.

In one positive case TBC, at least 10-15 people were subjected to contact tracing.

“This includes contacting people who we suspect might be tuberculosis to come and have their sputum checked at the Puskesmas. So we are still conducting active examinations or case finding with what is the best scenario for maintaining health protocols so that we can still apply it,” he explained. .

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