Lae sees increase in TB cases

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
THE number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Lae has been increasing each year, according to statistics in the Angau Memorial General Hospital’s 2017 annual report.
Provincial TB and Leprosy coordinator Karen Yamani said this is why an awareness of TB, its causes and prevention was important.
According to the report, the TB DOTS Clinic in 2014 attended to a total of 6978 patients, then it dropped slightly to 6805 patients in 2015 then spiked again in 2016 to 8892 and 10,945 in 2017.
The TB DOTS Clinic receives referrals from health centres, urban clinics, private clinics, church health facilities around Lae and other sections of Angau hospital.
It screens and registers TB patients, and do follow-up reviews of all outpatient TB treatment.
Yamani said that with funding from the health division, the team was able to discuss with the general public what TB was, its causes, signs and symptoms, and how to prevent it.
“We did awareness on TB and HIV, and also for TB in the workplace because both are becoming a trend. We see a lot of employees visiting health centres for medical reports to go for treatment,” she said.
Yamani said yesterday that the Morobe health division teamed up with Save the Children, Angau Hospital and the Lae district health office in a week-long awareness campaign on TB around the city. The awareness programme started on Monday, March 18, saw the team carrying out awareness in public places, schools and business areas.
“The awareness is part of the World TB Day commemoration, however, Lae District won’t be commemorating the day next Monday, and the awareness was to cover for that,” Yamani said.