Public health officials warned yesterday during a symposium on tuberculosis (TB) that more attention should be paid toward the prevention and control of the disease.
They also expressed apprehension at the lack of funding for TB control programs, while the disease is still a significant threat to Taiwan's public health.
According to a report released by the US Center for Disease Control yesterday aimed at heightening global awareness of the epidemic on World TB Day, tuberculosis is still a leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide.
According to the report, each year there are approximately eight million new cases and two million deaths which occur as a result of the disease around the world. Tuberculosis is still common in Africa, Asia and South America.
Officials from the Department of Health yesterday complained that insufficient funds for tuberculosis control efforts have led to disappointing results in containing the disease in Taiwan.
Huang Fu-yuan (
"We can only afford programs which promote a better understanding of the disease," said Tu Hsing-che (涂醒哲), director-general of Taiwan's Center for Disease Control.
The center is promoting a nationwide DOTS (directly-observed treatment, short course) program suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) this year.
These programs provide patients who are taking medication with people to oversee them, and is suggested by the World Bank as one of the most cost-effective health programs around.
Tuberculosis patients can develop a resistance to the drugs if they do not follow the prescription continuously for six months.
Huang said that there are roughly 15,000 new tuberculosis cases reported in Taiwan each year, including about 4,000 current tuberculosis sufferers. "A person with tuberculosis who does not undergo proper treatment can transmit the disease to approximately 10 others within a year," Huang said.
The health department said each year roughly 1,500 deaths in Taiwan are attributed to tuberculosis, while the total number of deaths caused by other infectious diseases in Taiwan is approximately 300 every year. Due to the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis, challenges in dealing with the disease have become greater, said the health department.
Tu explained that the current TB decline rate in Taiwan, which averages 0.47 percent every year, is still behind the standard given by the WHO. "Taiwan can only reach the WHO standard in 2025 if its TB rate is reduced by 10 percent each year," he said.
Tu also said that in this decade the decline of TB cases in Taiwan has been very slow.
Tuberculosis expert Lee Reichman, who participated in yesterday's symposium, said that many countries have underestimated the importance of establishing consistent TB control programs because the disease has been considered a problem only in developing countries. He said the lack of government efforts to control the disease is why tuberculosis has not been eliminated.
"Everyone needs to understand the significance of TB. A relapse of the disease can occur at anytime after a person is infected and frequent travelling increases the threat of contracting tuberculosis," he strongly emphasized.
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