Tuberculosis endemic in Central Java

Tuberculosis endemic in Central Java

SEMARANG: Some 82 percent of people aged between 15 years and
54 years in Central Java suffer from tuberculosis, threatening
the province's future human resources, a health agency official
said.

But the head of the Central Java health agency, Krishnajaya
did not state the exact number of people suffering from the
disease this year.

He said here on Friday that in 2001, some 40,300 people out of
31 million people suffered from the disease, most of whom came
from the lower income group.

Krishnajaya said many hospitals had applied a strategy called
Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) to fight
tuberculosis, but the results were not really satisfactory.

Krishnajaya admitted that the 1996-2001 program launched to
combat the disease had not brought about significant results.
--Antara