Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for most cases of contagious disease contractions in Taiwan each year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday in an effort to raise awareness of the disease.
Numerous reasons contribute to the high incidence of TB, such as its long incubation period, ambiguous symptoms and ease of transmission, said Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), deputy director-general at the agency.
In addition, some patients fail to take their medication on time, which can also result in the disease being contracted by those close to them, Chou said.
Photo: CNA
The agency’s statistics showed there were 12,630 reported cases of TB last year.
Ahead of today’s World Tuberculosis Day, the agency urged the public to be alert for symptoms such as chronic coughing (lasting longer than two weeks), excessive phlegm, chest pains, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.
Those exhibiting the aforementioned symptoms should report to a hospitals for a TB test, the agency said.
It also released the results of a nationwide survey that found the public still lacks a full understanding of TB and how it is treated.
For example, only about 60 percent of respondents knew that two weeks of treatment greatly reduces a patient’s ability to spread the disease.
TB patients who follow the two-week treatment program and test negative in a phlegm test are not able to transmit the disease, the agency said.
However, there remains a great deal of stigma attached to people who contract TB, with 40 percent of respondent saying that they would be fearful of approaching someone with TB, while 55 percent worried that they would be discriminated against if they fell ill with the disease.
The survey, conducted from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18 last year, was based on 1,079 adult respondents.
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