‘Sabah one of the states with highest number of TB patients’

TAWAU: Sabah recorded about 4,000 sufferers of tuberculosis ( TB) in 2017, one of the states with the highest number of the disease in the country.

In Tawau alone, there were 513 TB patients recorded in 2017 compared with 425 patients in 2016, said the advisor Sabah Tuberculosis Prevention Association ( Sabata) Tawau, Peter Lu Yit Pin during the association’s 2016-2017 annual general meeting (AGM) at a hotel here yesterday.

He said many of the TB patients were not aware and would not know they were suffering from TB until the disease had spread widely in the society.

“It is such a worrying matter. I hope all committee members and members could work together and lend our hands to enhance the cleanliness and the healthiness of our environment from time to time,” he said.

According to him, TB is highly contagious if no early treatment is being done. It is caused by bacteria that affect the lungs, and spread through the air through coughing, spitting, speaking and sneezing when in close contact with others. However, he said TB is curable by taking medication. Meanwhile, Tawau Sabata president Jessie Hiew also disclosed that the association would carry out a TB health check for people at identified TB hotspot areas such as Kg Kurnia Jaya and Kg Hidayat at Jalan Apas, Batu 4 1/2 here from April 16 to 20.

Sabata Tawau will provide transport allowance for poor TB patients to go to TB clinics for periodical review and treatment.

At the AGM, they also bade farewell to Dr Sitti Hajar who will be transferred to Selangor next Monday. Dr Sitti has served as a supervisor of TB clinics at Tawau Hospital for three years.