World Tuberculosis Day - 24 Mar 99

Tuberculosis or TB is a major public health problem around the world today. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared TB a "Global Emergency" and has designated 24 March as World TB Day. WHO has estimated that globally, TB kills 8,000 people a day or 2 to 3 million people a year.TB is an air borne disease transmitted through respiratory droplets from a person with the disease. Infected persons may present with prolonged cough, chest pain and blood in the sputum. There is often associated fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, loss of weight and fatigue. The disease can be cured with proper treatment, which usually takes about 6 to 9 months. Persons who do not complete the full course of treatment may continue to be infectious and may develop drug resistant tuberculosis.

In 1998, a total of 1821 new cases of tuberculosis were detected among the resident population giving a rate of 58 per 100,000 resident population. This is much higher than many developed countries e.g. in Australia (6 per 100,000) and the United States (8 per 100,000). The majority of cases were men, accounting for two-thirds (68%) of the new cases. About 60% of the cases were aged 50 years and above. During the year, there were 125 TB deaths.

To combat the problem of tuberculosis, in April 1997, the Ministry of Health embarked on the Singapore Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (STEP) with the aim of eliminating the disease in Singapore in 15 years' time. The key component of STEP is early diagnosis and proper treatment of patients with tuberculosis. This will enable early treatment and cure, and prevent further transmission of the disease and emergence of drug resistant tuberculosis.

The Ministry would like to advise those who have been exposed to persons with tuberculosis or who have symptoms of the disease to consult a doctor. Persons aged above 45 years are encouraged to go for a chest X-ray to screen for tuberculosis. Those who have been diagnosed to have tuberculosis are urged to be compliant with their treatment to ensure cure of the disease.