With COVID-19 getting the limelight, TB is silently increasing in the country

Whilst the country has put all its efforts in fighting COVID-19, Tuberculosis (TB) is on the increase.

TB is increasing in the country, says the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Dr. Culwick Togamana, in Parliament today.

The Minister made the reference to TB after the MP for Shortlands and Minister of Home Affairs Chris Laore told Parliament yesterday that whilst the government is concentrating on fighting COVID-19, TB is increasing amongst his people.

Tongamana told Parliament today that TB is not only increasing in the Shortlands but throughout the country.

He named Malaita, Guadalcanal and his own province of Isabel as those who record increase in TB cases.

Togamana said that his ministry should do some contact tracing on those with TB and identify them and they can be treated.

“We can treat them as there is a treatment for TB,” he said.

According to World Health Ogranisation, TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often affects the lungs. TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit. A person needs to inhale only a few germs to become infected.

Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB). Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year – making it the world’s top infectious killer.

TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.