Tuberculosis may have become a common disease heard by many people. Tuberculosis or what is often called TB is also often considered a dangerous disease because it is easily transmitted and has the potential to cause death if not treated properly.
Tuberculosis itself is a type of infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis which consists of several species of bacteria, such as M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. bovis, and M. leprae . Apart from these bacteria, tuberculosis can also be caused by MOTT (Mycobacterium Other Than Tuberculosis) which often interferes with or complicates the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
New cases of Tuberculosis or TB in Indonesia occurred as many as 420,994 cases in 2017 and continued to increase in the following years. Based on gender, men have a greater risk of getting TB than women. Based on the Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey, the prevalence of males is three times higher than females. This figure is probably formed because men generally have greater tuberculosis-forming factors, such as smoking habits and higher stress levels.
In general, the symptoms experienced by TB patients are coughing up phlegm for two weeks or more. The cough experienced can be followed by additional symptoms, such as coughing up phlegm mixed with blood, shortness of breath, weakness, decreased appetite and weight loss, malaise or weakness, lack of fitness, frequent sweating at night even though not doing physical activity, and fever or chills that happened for more than one month. If you experience these symptoms, immediately consult a doctor.
Considering that tuberculosis is a disease that is quite dangerous, efforts and control of TB risk factors are needed in various ways, starting from cultivating clean and healthy living behaviors, such as cultivating ethical behavior when coughing, making efforts to maintain and improve the quality of housing and its environment in accordance with healthy housing standards. , dealing with TB co-morbidities. Apart from that, the most important thing is implementing prevention and control of TB infection in Health Service Facilities and outside Health Service Facilities.
In addition to efforts to prevent and control TB risks, efforts to treat tuberculosis are also needed to create a tuberculosis-free Indonesia. In general, efforts to deal with TB disease are divided into three parts, namely:
- TB service integration must be patient-centered and TB prevention efforts, which consist of:
- Early possible diagnosis of TB, including all-inclusive TB sensitivity testing and systematic TB screening of contacts and high-risk population groups
- Treatment for all TB patients, including those with drug resistance, with patient-centred support
- Collaborative TB/HIV activities and management of other TB comorbidities
- Efforts to provide preventive treatment to vulnerable and high-risk groups, as well as to provide vaccinations to prevent tuberculosis
- Bold and clear policies and support systems, consisting of:
- Commitment that is manifested in fulfilling the need for TB services and prevention
- Active involvement of the community, social organizations and health service providers, both government and private
- Implementation of universal health coverage and other policy frameworks that support TB control, such as mandatory reporting, vital registration, management and rational drug use and infection control
- Social security, poverty alleviation and other activities to reduce the impact of social determinants of TB
- Intensification of research and innovation, which consists of:
- Discovery, development and rapid application of new tools, intervention methods and strategies for TB control
- Research development to optimize the implementation of activities and stimulate new innovations to accelerate the development of TB control programs
To get good TB prevention and treatment, treatment by professional medical personnel is needed, such as treatment from a Pulmonology and Respiratory (Pulmonary) Medicine Specialist, dr. Deva Bachtiar, Sp.P who practices on Tuesdays at 08.00-12.00 WIB and Friday at 08.00-12.00 WIB at EMC Sentul Hospital. Get the best treatment so that you and your family can have a quality life, be free from TB, and #LiveExcellently