Eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals, which has become a challenge with a pandemic in the middle.
The disease is one of the oldest in existence. The main symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis appear with Excessive coughing, bloody phlegm, sweating, chills, fatigue, chest pain, and also, weight lossThis disease remains a public health crisis and a threat to public health security.
“It has been, most likely, the disease that has caused the most damage to the human species throughout its history, damage counted in the number of sick people and the number of deaths. Therefore, the possibility of eradicating it has been a legitimate dream pursued by man for many years. A dream, therefore, very old, but it is still very far from being achieved“, wrote the Canarian doctor José A. Caminero Luna, in 2006.
“Tuberculosis has taken a heavy toll on human lives. Worldwide, on average, there are more than eight million new cases a year and almost three million people die from it.”describes Paula Figueroa, an infectious disease specialist at the General Hospital of Diseases of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute and representative of the organization before the National Tuberculosis Program and the Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Committee.
This disease is usually seen most frequently in Guatemala between the ages of 20 and 49, and the majority of those infected are men, says the infectious disease specialist. This age is usually the most productive.
Pulmonologist Juan José del Cid, from the Tuberculosis League, comments that eliminating the disease is a difficult challenge for Guatemala and the world in such a short term, due to certain factors such as the levels of poverty that exist because conditions have to be improved, he explains.
“Normally, there were 22 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but in recent years, the number has increased to 26 patients per 100,000 inhabitants,” says Hibeb Silvestre, coordinator of the Tuberculosis Program at the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance.
“The increase in cases worldwide is a current phenomenon and for now we are focusing on diagnosis and reducing mortality… we are also focusing on prevention,” explains Silvestre.
What is tuberculosis and what are its symptoms?
Tuberculosis does not always affect the lungs, it is sometimes confused with pneumonia, cancer, fungi or other diseases, “in Guatemala, where it is highly endemic, you should not fail to rule it out from the beginning,” adds Figueroa.
A percentage of people with chronic diseases or infections and who have a weak immune system, such as poorly controlled diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or HIV, might be at greater risk and develop the disease in other parts of the body, although it is important to clarify that anyone might become infected, even those who are completely healthy, say experts.
One of the ways to prevent this disease is to be aware of it in order to take action as soon as a symptom appears. In risk groups or health personnel, the ideal is to carry out tests with a certain frequency and there are preventive treatments for them.
Another preventive measure in the pediatric population is vaccination to prevent them from developing serious forms of tuberculosis. The BCG vaccine prevents the disease and is administered before one year of age. In adults, avoiding overcrowding might also be positive to prevent infection.
The burden of tuberculosis in prisons is approximately 10 times higher than the burden in the general population (secondary to overcrowding, confinement in closed and poorly ventilated spaces, inadequate nutrition, poor health care and the prevalence of other risk factors for developing it).
People diagnosed in Guatemala can receive free treatment in the national hospital network, in health centers and at the IGSS, but it is important to take it in front of health personnel to ensure that they are actually taking it. “Patients cannot stop taking any medication because it might create resistance to the medication and lengthen the treatment or cause the case to become complicated,” says De Cid.
“The most important thing is to invest in prevention so that the country can avoid having sick people and thus detect the disease for timely treatment,” adds Del Cid.
Another point to work on is community support for patients, says Silvestre, because sometimes patients are discriminated once morest and it is important to remember that the disease is only transmitted through the respiratory tract and not by touching something that the patient had in his or her hands. “We are working on strengthening this part and several health services have psychologists so that the person has comprehensive treatment,” concludes Silvestre.
#tuberculosis #continues #affect #thousands #Guatemalans #disappear
