TB 'major killer' in Tangerang

JAKARTA: One-thousand five hundred and eighty-four people have contracted tuberculosis (TB) in Tangerang, Banten, this year, an official says.

Head of the Tangerang Health Agency Juliah Iskandar said on Saturday that the data was based on patients treated in several hospitals in Tangerang by August.

Juliah said the figures were high.

"The disease is the No. 1 killer in Tangerang," she said, without giving figures on fatalities for the disease, adding that the number of patients were increasing year on year.

TB patients received free treatment in Tangerang administration-owned hospitals and a number of health centers at districts and subdistricts, she claimed. --Antara