Tuberculosis, one of the oldest diseases in human history and one of the most effective fights, continues today to be a deadly disease in our country and in the world. The Turkish Respiratory Research Association (TÜSAD) working group on tuberculosis pointed out that the increase in the number of registered patients, which had decreased during the pandemic period, has picked up again and said that there are 6.4 million patients registered in the world and 9 thousand 156 patients registered in our country. “Tuberculosis still continues to be a major health problem,” the medical specialists said, noting that more than 4 million unregistered patients make it more difficult to control.
The TÜSAD Tuberculosis working group, which issued a statement at the 76th TB Education and Awareness Week held between January 1 and January 7 this year in our country, shared important information about the disease and existing data. Assoc. Dr. TÜSAD working group, chaired by Mediha Gönenç Ortaköylü, emphasized the following points in its statement:
1.6 MILLION PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES IN 2021
“The COVID-19 pandemic process has caused a decrease in the registration and treatment of tuberculosis patients worldwide. While 7.1 million patients were registered worldwide in 2019, the number of registered patients fell to 5, 8 million in 2020. In 2021, 6.4 million patients were registered with a partial increase. There are still more than 4 million unregistered patients in the world and the fact that unregistered patients cannot receive adequate care makes it more difficult to control tuberculosis on a global scale.According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, a total of 10.6 million new tuberculosis patients worldwide in 2021 It is claimed that 1.6 million people died due to tuberculosis.
STILL A MAJOR PROBLEM IN OUR COUNTRY
In the tuberculosis control program, the number of tuberculosis patients has decreased by 4-6% per year in recent years. In 2020, when the pandemic was intense, there was a decrease in the 25% rate of registered tuberculosis patients due to the pandemic-oriented work of the health system and the inadequacy of patient access to health institutions. In 2021, registered TB patients increased slightly to 9,156. This data also shows that; Tuberculosis continues to be a major health problem in our country.
DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED
Thanks to the Tuberculosis Dispensaries, which started working with the establishment of the Republic in Turkey, a tuberculosis control program still exists, despite its shortcomings. For this program to continue successfully, the structure and staffing of tuberculosis dispensaries need to be sustained and strengthened. Therefore, the public can benefit more from these institutions, comprehensive tuberculosis treatments, follow-up contact with tuberculosis patients, and preventive treatments can be provided to the necessary people. This will be an important step towards achieving the goals of ‘Turkey without tuberculosis’ and ‘A world without tuberculosis’.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TB
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus called “Mycobacterium tuberculosis”, transmitted from person to person by air, and can be seen in all organs, mainly in the lungs.
The symptoms of tuberculosis do not appear in a few days, but in weeks and months. Symptoms manifest themselves in the form of weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, inability to gain weight in children, night sweats and fever throughout the body.
If the disease affects the lungs, there may be cough, sputum, chest pain, blood in the sputum. Especially a cough that does not go away and does not improve with antibiotics can cause a suspicion of tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis patients recover 100% with drug treatment. For treatment, 4 different effective drugs against tuberculosis are used together. Medicines are provided free of charge from tuberculosis dispensaries.
The total duration of treatment is at least 6 months. It is necessary to continue the treatment for a sufficient time and at the appropriate dose without interrupting it. If this is not done, the microbe becomes resistant to drugs, increasing the risk of resistant tuberculosis, which is more difficult to treat and lasts longer.
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