| Azlan Othman |
THE number of new Tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2016 dropped to 238, with the incidence rate of 56.3 per 100,000 in population, compared to the incidence rate of 91.9 per 100,000 in population, for the year 2000.
The figures also include 25 per cent of TB cases among foreign workers residing in the country.
This was highlighted yesterday by Dr Hajah Norhayati bin Haji Md Kassim, the Acting Director of Environmental Health Services at the Ministry of Health (MoH), in a commemorative event to mark World Tuberculosis Day.
The guest of honour was Dato Paduka Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Jaafar, the Minister of Health.
Dr Hajah Norhayati added, “There were no deaths caused by TB in 2016. The decline in the TB incident rate shows a positive effect, following efforts made by the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, which include preventive measures, detection and control.”
Along with other agencies and stakeholders, the MoH will step up on efforts to contain the disease through the strengthening of the national TB programme, which was set up in 2000, with the aim of eliminating TB within the Sultanate.
“Among the efforts which are actively being implemented are health screening, early detection of TB through a test and DOTS (Directly-Observed Therapy) which is accepted as an effective way to contain TB,” said Dr Hajah Norhayati.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated around nine million new active TB cases this year; and that 1.3 million global deaths are caused by TB, including 0.4 million deaths from TB-HIV.
“However, the overall rate of TB deaths has declined up to three per cent annually, while new cases have also dropped up to two per cent annually, in which 22 million patients have recovered after undergoing DOTS, as well as the implementation of STOP TB strategy, as suggested by the WHO.”
The speech was followed by the handover of multimedia training packages to school representatives, with complete information on the preventive measures and control of TB.
A premier forum was also held, discussing the issue of social stigma and discrimination from TB. On the panel was Hajah Wadi Hana binti Haji Sudin; Dr Muhammad Fathi bin Dato Paduka Haji Alikhan, from the Ministry of Health; Haryani binti Haji Mohammad, the Principal of the Sayyidina Hasan Secondary School; and Hajah Halina binti Haji Minudin, the mother of a student infected by TB.
The MoH will also hold continuous activities throughout the year, including roadshows and awareness programmes on TB, at both government and private schools.
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