‘Get screened for TB if you have symptoms’
BINTULU: Any individual who has symptoms of tuberculosis (TB) such as fever, cough lasting more than two weeks, lack of appetite and weight loss should go for a health screening at the nearby health facility, said Bintulu Hospital director Dr Suzalinna Sulaiman.
She said based on data from the Ministry of Health (MoH), there was an increase in TB cases in Malaysia from 25,391 cases with 2,572 deaths in 2022 to 26,781 cases with 2623 deaths in 2023.
“It is very worrying, especially the increase in antibiotic resistance cases for TB (drug resistant TB),” she said during the World Kidney Day and World TB Day 2024 programme at Bintulu Hospital on Wednesday.
Therefore, Dr Suzalinna said the MoH is actively trying to detect TB patients, increase access to quality-assured rapid diagnosis of TB and to ensure that TB treatment is easily available without hospitalisation.
She added the MoH is also trying to enhance the full uptake of effective, safe and short treatment regimens to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance to TB, and perform preventive activities for high-risk groups, especially the detection of latent TB.
“World TB Day is celebrated on March 24 every year in commemoration of the history of the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria by Dr Robert Koch on March 24, 1882.
“This celebration is done to increase awareness, commitment and support from various parties regarding TB disease,” she said.
Dr Suzalinna said this year’s theme calls for the support and commitment of various parties in an effort to end the TB epidemic by 2035.
Separately, she said World Kidney Day is celebrated every March 14 to raise awareness about the importance of kidney health to humans.
Dr Suzalinna said local research statistics showed that one in seven Malaysian adults suffer from chronic kidney disease.
“About 15.5 per cent or more than five million people in Malaysia, face the problem of chronic kidney disease.
“The latest data from the Malaysian Dialysis and Transplant Registry shows that more than 9,500 new patients are identified as needing to undergo dialysis treatment each year,” she said, adding that about 51,000 patients have kidney failure that requires dialysis treatment to survive.
She said it is expected that more than 106,000 Malaysians will undergo dialysis by 2040 if the increase in the rate of kidney failure remains unchanged.
According to her, diabetes is a major contributor to new patients for dialysis treatment in Malaysia where 53 per cent of new patients for dialysis treatment are diabetics.
Therefore, she said diabetes needs to be dealt with effectively from the beginning of the disease because it can also affect chronic kidney disease.
“Good kidney care practices include an active lifestyle, a healthy and balanced diet, monitoring body weight, controlling sugar and blood pressure levels, drinking enough water and regularly checking kidney function to ensure the kidneys are in good condition,” she said.
In the meantime, she said screening for early detection of kidney disease can prevent kidney damage at a more severe level.
Support and encouragement from family members, friends and employers are instrumental for the kidney patients to continue living a productive life, she added.