Commemoration of World TB Day amid the COVID-19 pandemic is a key reminder for us that TB eradication should not retreat despite the pandemicJakarta (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin emphasized that the tuberculosis (TB) eradication program in Indonesia should move forward in spite of challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Commemoration of World TB Day amid the COVID-19 pandemic is a key reminder for us that TB eradication should not retreat despite the pandemic," Amin stated here on Wednesday in his speech to commemorate World TB Day.
The VP affirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic had made it tougher to eradicate TB.
"Our resources are drained to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has reduced sharply the capacity to handle TB," he emphasized.
Citing a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), Amin noted that the TB case report in Indonesia has declined 25-30 percent during the January-June 2020 period.
"According to the WHO, the declining report can cause a dramatic increase in deaths due to TB," the VP stated.
The Vice President is optimistic of better coordination among all stakeholders, medical workers, and the public to thwart the spread of the disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TB is a communicable disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria that infects the human body through the respiratory tract.
The infectious disease especially affects the lungs and can also infect other body parts, such as bones and the gland.
According to the Health Ministry’s data, TB cases in Indonesia in 2020 were estimated to reach 845 thousand, though only 350 thousand cases were reported.
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