TBC prevalent in Nusa Tenggara

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Over seven percent of the 3,3 million population of this province suffer from tuberculosis (TBC), an official says.

Head of the provincial health office Bambang Purnomo said over the weekend that the high incidence of tuberculosis is spurred by the people's lack of cleanliness and low economic status.

"Under such conditions, the disease spreads rapidly," he was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday.

He said a health survey would be conducted next year to determine the disease's spread across the province.

Statistics at the provincial health office show that of the almost 10,100 chronic TBC cases detected in the province, around 1,700 have undergone treatment in hospitals and over 1,000 have recovered. (rms)