Malaysia aspires to eradicate TB by 2035, says Dr Dzul

PUTRAJAYA: In conjunction with World Tuberculosis Day on Sunday (March 24), the country aspires to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) by the year 2035, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Close cooperation among individuals, communities and agencies is essential to stop TB once and for all, the Health Minister added.

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He added that TB remains one of the significant disease burdens in Malaysia.

“Current statistics on tuberculosis are concerning and affect the quality of life of the Malaysian population.

“With available treatments capable of curing tuberculosis, efforts to detect it early and initiate treatment as soon as possible need to be intensified,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

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Last year, there were 26,781 TB cases with a notification rate of 80.2 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of 1,390 cases or 5.47% compared with 2022, which had 25,391 cases with a notification rate of 77.8 cases per 100,000.

The country also recorded 2,623 deaths in 2023, an increase of 51 deaths (2%) compared with 2022,which saw 2,572 deaths.

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TB is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is spread through the air.

While most infections involve the lungs, other organs can also be infected such as the brain, spine, lymph nodes and intestines.

Among the symptoms of tuberculosis include prolonged cough lasting more than two weeks, fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, and coughing up blood.

Dr Dzulkefly said the misunderstandings regarding the symptoms of tuberculosis being caused by witchcraft, human-made, or hereditary need to be corrected so that individuals experiencing symptoms can receive early examination and treatment.

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“People who are in close contact with a TB patient, an HIV patient, or suffer from chronic hip issues, lung ailments, or who are heavy smokers are encouraged to go for health screenings to detect this disease early,” he said.

He said the treatment for TB is a combination of antibiotics that have to be consumed daily for six months.

He said patients who stop their treatment and refuse to be treated could have action taken against them under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.