Strengthening solutions to prevent and control tuberculosis in the community

Updated date: 03/24/2025 10:20:56

DTO - According to statistics from the National Tuberculosis Control Program, Dong Thap has the 5th highest tuberculosis rate among 63 provinces and cities nationwide and the 2nd highest among the Mekong Delta provinces. In the period 2021 - 2024, the whole province has 11,346 people with tuberculosis of all types detected, managed and treated. The current worrying issue is that the tuberculosis epidemic in Dong Thap is still high, the progression is complicated, and the rate of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis tends to increase.

People come to see a doctor at Dong Thap Lung Hospital

With the goal of soon ending tuberculosis in the province, in recent years, the province has focused on implementing the National Tuberculosis Control Program in the province, combined with strengthening communication in the community about tuberculosis, proactive screening, admission, and treatment of tuberculosis, contributing to preventing and limiting the spread of tuberculosis in the community.

According to specialist I Nguyen Khoa Thi - Deputy Director of Dong Thap Lung Hospital, tuberculosis is caused by tuberculosis bacteria, transmitted through the respiratory tract. If the patient does not detect the disease early and treat it promptly, it can lead to death. Tuberculosis in the community is very dangerous and easily spreads. If a person with tuberculosis does not receive treatment in the community, he or she will infect many people. However, the current difficulty in preventing and fighting tuberculosis is the psychology of people with suspected tuberculosis symptoms who do not think they are likely to have tuberculosis. They are still self-conscious about tuberculosis and are afraid that people will shun them, so the detection of tuberculosis is often late, their health is exhausted and there are many complications. Some patients do not comply with the doctor's recommendations, stop treatment on their own, so the possibility of getting worse and becoming resistant to drugs is very high, affecting public health.

Implementing the National Tuberculosis Control Program in the province, in the past time, the Central Lung Hospital and the Global Fund Project supported Dong Thap Lung Hospital with specialized testing machines for tuberculosis bacteria such as: mobile X-ray cart, Xpert testing machine, fluorescence microscope, tuberculosis bacteria culture machine...

The province invested in and expanded Dong Thap Lung Hospital and added specialized equipment to serve the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis such as: color ultrasound machine; endoscope; blood filtration system, kidney filtration; surgical equipment for the Department of Thoracic Surgery; CT Scanner. Promoting the effectiveness of supported equipment, Dong Thap Lung Hospital has used mobile X-ray vehicles and Xpert machines to proactively screen for tuberculosis using the 2X strategy (using chest X-ray and Xpert test) to screen for tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis in the community.

In 2024, TB screening was conducted in the community in Lai Vung and Hong Ngu districts. Thereby, thousands of people who had contact with TB patients and were at risk of TB were examined, X-rayed, and tested with Xpert. As a result, 174 TB cases and 216 latent TB cases were detected and diagnosed. Patients who were detected with TB during the community screening were all transferred to the District and City Health Centers for treatment according to the protocol.

In addition, as a specialized lung hospital of the province, Dong Thap Lung Hospital strives to gradually improve the quality of treatment. Every year, the hospital actively researches and applies new techniques to treatment, contributing to ensuring good admission and treatment for people with tuberculosis in the province.

Currently, Dong Thap Lung Hospital has been researching and implementing new techniques to help diagnose and effectively treat tuberculosis for people.

In addition, Dong Thap Lung Hospital coordinates with related units, District and City Health Centers, and Commune Health Stations to strengthen communication through local radio systems to inform people about the symptoms, danger levels, and complications of tuberculosis so that people can understand and effectively implement disease prevention measures. Commune, ward, and town health stations, and hamlet and village health workers actively monitor and manage people with tuberculosis who are being treated in the community; disseminate and encourage patients to confidently follow the correct treatment regimen to limit the rate of tuberculosis recurrence.

Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Khoa Thi - Deputy Director of Dong Thap Lung Hospital, added: “The goal of the National Tuberculosis Control Program in Dong Thap province is to strengthen the detection of tuberculosis cases and latent tuberculosis cases in the community. In the coming time, Dong Thap Lung Hospital will continue to improve the professional qualifications of medical staff and doctors to diagnose early, accurately and treat tuberculosis patients well; promptly handle severe tuberculosis cases; strengthen the organization of tuberculosis screening in the community to detect and limit tuberculosis cases in the community to ensure people's health. At the same time, it is recommended that people who have abnormal symptoms such as: dry cough, prolonged cough with phlegm, coughing up blood, weight loss, fatigue, shortness of breath... should immediately go to a medical facility for examination and health check-up. For those who have contracted tuberculosis, they should comply with the treatment regimen to recover soon and avoid recurrence."

MY XUYEN

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/suc-khoe/tang-cuong-cac-giai-phap-phong-chong-benh-lao-trong-cong-dong-130112.aspx