TB rampant, despite fall in number of sufferers
TB rampant, despite fall in number of sufferers
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi has said that
tuberculosis (TB) is still a serious problem in Indonesia,
although the number of sufferers is now declining.
This high prevalence has nothing to do with the spread of the
Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), he said. It has
more to do with the difficulties of containing the lung disease,
Sujudi told reporters after meeting Vice President Try Sutrisno
at Merdeka Selatan Palace.
"I believe TB is now the number three killer in Indonesia," he
said.
The minister did not give any precise figures on the number of
people infected with TB.
Once thought to be under control, TB has returned worldwide
with a vengeance, hitting both developed and developing
countries. In some areas, its resurgence is linked to the growing
number of people with AIDS, a disease which weakens people's
resistance to disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in 1993 that 1.9
billion people, or one in every three worldwide, are infected
with the disease. In the next decade, 300 million more people
will become infected, 90 million people will develop the disease,
and 30 million people will die of it, WHO said.
Sujudi said the resurgence of TB worldwide, as well as yellow
fever in Kenya, would be among the topics at the WHO conference
in Geneva beginning May 19. The minister will be representing
Indonesia in the week-long meeting.
He said that the Indonesian government did not have sufficient
medication to treat all TB-infected people here.
Many people who undergo treatment fail to complete the entire
process, some because they live too far from hospitals, others
because they think they are cured the moment they stop coughing,
he complained.
This makes the TB bacteria even more resistant to drugs, and
curing it takes longer than the six months originally required,
and costs more, he said.
The minister said TB bacteria can be found everywhere, even in
public places like cinemas. But whether one will be infected or
not depends on your health, he said.
People who are physically or mentally tired are prone to TB,
he said, stressing that even wealthy people can be affected.
(emb)