W

est Jakarta Health Agency head Dewi Satiasari says 5,006 residents have been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB).

Dewi said the problem was made worse by a lack of awareness among residents of the need for a healthy lifestyle and the preservation of a clean environment, adding that her agency had intensified efforts to combat the spread of the deadly illness.

“Other factors exacerbating the spread of TB virus are a dirty environment, air pollution and severe malnutrition. It can also be contracted from expectoration and inhaling smoke from infected people,” she said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Of the 5,006 affected residents, around 4,000 regularly checked in at community health centers (puskesmas) in eight districts across the municipality, while the rest were receiving treatment at state or private hospitals.

She said efforts to prevent contagion included strengthening the engagement with all relevant health care providers in tuberculosis care and better control through a mixed public-private approach.

“We also have extended the network to reach community units [RW] that have the biggest number of TB cases as well as conducting thorough awareness campaigns among the public and staff in hospitals, clinics and puskesmas,” she said.