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Indonesia cracks down on undetected TB cases
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Deep talks — Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (right) and Health Minister Nila FA Moeloek (second right) attend a hearing at the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing social and religious affairs in Jakarta on Jan. 16. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A.)
T
he Health Ministry is cracking down on unreported and unidentified tuberculosis (TB) cases in Indonesia, which is believed to have the second-highest number of unreported cases in the world.
According to the latest global TB report by the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 690,000 TB cases in Indonesia may not be detected or reported. Such unreported and undetected cases could result in more than 100,000 deaths.
As for detected cases, Indonesia also ranks second in the world behind India, with more than 1 million cases annually. Among the reported cases, there were 7,500 deaths.
As underreporting has become a major concern, the Health Ministry is implementing an active case-finding approach, where health workers go door-to-door to check for people suspected to have contracted TB.
“If there is one person with TB, we’re not only looking at him. We also have to check his wife and his children,” Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek said on Thursday.
She pointed out that private health-care providers had to cooperate with the government by reporting any TB cases they handled.
“We have to invite them to report. This is an unfinished task,” Nila said.
(Read also: US, Indonesia raise TB awareness among youth)
TB affects the lungs and is spread in the same way as influenza, through coughing, sneezing or saliva. Symptoms include persistent coughing with sputum that can include traces of blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. (dmr)
