Tuberculosis Cases in Sukabumi City Rise, Nearly 1,400 Sufferers Identified

Tuberculosis (TB) cases in Sukabumi City, West Java, are on the rise. This year, nearly 1,400 people have been identified as suffering from the infectious disease. Head of the Sukabumi City Health Office (Dinkes), Ida Halimah, stated that the number of TB cases found is the result of data collection since the beginning of the year. Ida acknowledged that the number of cases has relatively increased compared to the previous year. “The results of data collection conducted since the start of the year recorded nearly 1,400 TB sufferers in Sukabumi City,” Ida said on Sunday (14/6). Ida explained that the success indicator for TB management is not solely based on the number of cases found. More importantly, it also includes the number of patients who are successfully cured. “The treatment process must be completed thoroughly. Last year, the treatment success rate was still around 76 percent. The case detection rate reached 90 percent, but the treatment success rate was still below that,” she said. Therefore, Ida emphasised the need for coordination and collaboration among all elements. This means that when a TB patient discontinues treatment, it must be properly recorded and reported. “Tuberculosis is a global problem. Handling it requires cooperation from all parties,” Ida stressed. The Sukabumi City Health Office continues to optimise efforts to find and treat TB cases. If the treatment process is not completed, it is feared that transmission will become increasingly rampant. “For example, if we target 90 percent case detection from a target of around 2,000 people, then all of them must be successfully treated,” she concluded.