TB Cases on the Rise in West Sumatra, Urgency of Early Treatment Stressed

PAD.WHAT— Data from the West Sumatra Health Office, from early 2023 to May, the number of Tuberculosis (TB) sufferers found reached 5,261 cases. 120 of them died. While in the city of Padang the number of deaths reached 24 people.

Head of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Head of West Sumatra Health Office Jhoni Iswanto said, not only the elderly were affected by TB, young people and teenagers were also infected.

He said one of the reasons for the high TB ​​cases was patients who did not receive standard treatment. “If you have symptoms of TB, you should go straight to the puskesmas. If you have a cough, report it immediately,” he said.

TB treatment, free

According to him, the success of TB healing is from the sufferer himself and his family. This means that the family as the closest person must continue to remind them so that consumption of TB drugs does not stop for 6 months.

“If you have symptoms, check immediately so that later you don’t infect others. For TB disease, the treatment is free, whether you want BPJS or not, everything is free,” he said.

Jhoni said the number of cases and sufferers of TB in W Sumatra continued to increase. One of the causes is bacteria and lack of clean living behavior. Therefore, to reduce the number of cases, his party is conducting a screening of cases and improving facilities and infrastructure at the puskesmas and posyankes.

“One of them is holding a raid and investigating close contacts. If he’s positive, we’re looking for his family. We will examine and later be given preventive medicine, “he said.

He appealed to the public to pay attention to any disease that has symptoms of TB, to be examined immediately at the puskesmas. “This is an infectious disease, the first step is of course to break the chain of transmission. If there are symptoms of TB such as coughing up phlegm, fever, pain, weight loss, just go to the health center so that they are examined and treated. Because if he recovers, he won’t infect it again,” he said. (k)