Over the past many years, tuberculosis (TB) in Hai Duong province has tended to decline thanks to the health sector’s efforts and relevant units’ drastic participation.
According to the Provincial Hospital of TB and Pulmonary Diseases, around 2,000 people with TB were annually detected in the province before 2005; however, the number of people with TB has reduced since 2005. A total of 1,371 people with TB were detected in the province in 2014 with about 90% of patients cured.
Compared with many other provinces and cities, Hai Duong is one of the localities with a few TB patients. To maintain this result, the Provincial People’s Committee in 2014 established the Steering Board for TB Prevention and Control to strive to reduce 5% of people with TB each year and constrain the disease by 2030. The steering board has strengthened patient detection and management. Accordingly, all district hospitals have had anti-TB groups closely monitoring local TB situation.
At present, the Provincial Hospital of TB and Pulmonary Diseases is treating 120 TB patients while more than 600 others are under treatment in communities.
TB patients must have long-term therapy lasting 6 – 8 months for normal TB and 19 – 24 months for drug-resistant TB. TB treatment needs the coordination between patients’ relatives and hospitals and patients’ commitment to long-term treatment according to the hospital’s regimens. Officials, nurses, and doctors must always well manage patients to limit the situation of treatment abandonment.
The Provincial Hospital of TB and Pulmonary Diseases began to treat drug-resistant TB patients in 2011. To date, the hospital has treated 45 out of 59 cases, some of which were untreated because of HIV infection, advanced ages, etc.
The year 2014 marked a new advance in detecting and treating people with TB in the province, when the Provincial Hospital of TB and Pulmonary Diseases was supported with machines testing and detecting drug-resistant TB patients. Four samples can be tested at a time with results produced after two hours. Earlier, samples often had to be sent to Ha Noi with results produced only after one week. In addition, treated patients are assisted with anti-TB drugs.
At present, Chi Linh provincial town is the locality with the highest number of TB patients of 125, followed by Kinh Mon with 108, and Hai Duong city with 91. People with TB are usually aged between 60 and 65.
TB can be cured completely if detected early and treated promptly with a correct regimen and enough time. However, patients’ arbitrary abandonment will result in drug-resistant TB, making the treatment more difficult.
The treatment of TB patients requires direct supervision and strict management of officials in charge of TB prevention and control to ensure the treatment efficiency and promptly detect and handle patients’ complications during medicine intake.
Prevention is better than cure
Doctor Tang Van Bao, a 1st-degree specialist, Head of the Steering Division of Hospitals of TB and Pulmonary Diseases, said: “To control TB, the Steering Board for TB Prevention and Control has directed grassroots levels to actively train in anti-TB programs. The steering board has also intensified propaganda of basic information about TB prevention to the people. When there are suspected signs of TB, the people should immediately go to anti-TB groups of district medical centers and the Provincial Hospital of TB and Pulmonary Diseases for timely examination and treatment.”
The Steering Board for TB Prevention and Control is focusing on mobilizing authorities at all levels, boards, branches, unions, and individuals in the province to participate in supporting TB prevention and control in all aspects.
Grassroots anti-TB groups have organized wide communication among residential communities about the World TB Day so that the people will have correct conception of TB without any complex about or discrimination against people with TB to head towards the target that Vietnam will have controlled TB by 2030.
MINH NGUYET
Đăng ký: VietNam News
