TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, stated that the occurrence of pandemic Covid-19 has had a major impact on the treatment of tuberculosis (TB/TB) patients. He explained that the pandemic could add to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of TB patients in the world.
According to him, the world health organization or WHO estimates that there will be an increase in the number of deaths of tuberculosis patients by 500,000 in the world. “The latest WHO research a few months ago in 84 countries showed that the increase in deaths was not 345,000, but half a million,” said the professor in the field of pulmonology and respiratory medicine in an online discussion, Wednesday, September 29, 2021.
He stated that in a year at least deaths from TB reached 1.49 million patients in the world. This figure usually always decreases from year to year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 WHO predicts there will be 1.85 million deaths due to TB.
According to Tjandra, there are 5 disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the treatment of tuberculosis. These disturbances include problems with the TB case detection process, reduced laboratory work capacity due to the focus on dealing with the pandemic. Then the decrease in the supply of medicines, the reduction in handling and monitoring, as well as the reduction in health workers who handle TB cases because they are also diverted to respond to the pandemic.
In addition, he also conveyed a number of research quotes about the impact of tuberculosis patients when exposed to Covid-19. He stated that if a TB patient was exposed to the Corona virus, the severity of Covid-19 would be even more severe.
“SeverityHis is getting worse, and also his TB is getting worse. This means that the repair of TB is disrupted,” said Tjandra Yoga.
He then explained the problem of tuberculosis in Indonesia. Data recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic showed that Indonesia was one of 8 countries that accounted for two-thirds of TB cases in the world. The number reached 845,000 cases, with the number of deaths as many as 11 patients per hour, and the coverage of patient treatment which only reached 67 percent.
Furthermore, Tjandra said the data on treatment coverage for TB patients after the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia decreased to 43 percent in 2020. Then it decreased again to 18 percent in 2021.
Tjandra then reminded the government’s commitment in dealing with tuberculosis cases in Indonesia. “President (Jokowi) has stated on January 29, 2020 that Indonesia will carry out a (joint movement) elimination of tuberculosis by 2030,” he said.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the former Director of WHO Southeast Asia questioned how President Jokowi’s message or determination was to carry out the elimination program tuberculosis even though there is a pandemic.
Also read: TB is not hereditary, this is what needs to be considered
AQSHAL RAIHAN BUDIPUTRA | APPRENTICESHIP
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