We should have a healthy population in order to achieve development. Without a healthy nation, a country can do nothing. This is the reality. But leading newspapers rarely write editorials on topics related to health and they remember the importance of being healthy only during pandemics. Sri Lanka also faced this situation during the peak of COVID-19. But by now the people act like they never heard of COVID-19.
Today we focus on Tuberculosis (TB), another airborne respiratory disease which is on the rise in Sri Lanka. With World TB Day (March 24) just one week away, the time is opportune to focus on this disease which killed 1.3 million people worldwide in 2022.
TB is caused by bacteria and can be treated by administering antibiotics. According to some media reports, two TB patients die every day in Sri Lanka and the highest number of deaths is reported from TB when compared with other communicable diseases. Last year (2023) 9,358 TB patients had been detected from Sri Lanka. The worst affected areas in the country are the Western Province, Colombo District and the Colombo Municipal area. In April last year, it was reported that seven people living in slums in Colombo die from TB every week.
But every dark cloud has a silver lining. Timely and accurate medical treatment can cure TB completely and a healthy person rarely gets TB from a TB patient who has fully recovered. The only way out is giving all TB patients medical treatment on time and continuously until they fully recover. The diagnosis facilities and medical treatment are freely available in State hospitals free of charge and therefore, the people do not need to spend any money to make sure that they are healthy.
According to Consultant Respiratory Physicians, people with a severe cough lasting for more than two weeks which can be dry at onset but becomes worse, fever which can be mild in the evening or intermittent high fever, loss of weight and loss of appetite, increased sweating, tiredness, pain in the chest and blood stained sputum should seek immediate medical treatment because they are the main symptoms of TB. However, some patients may not experience a cough.
TB germs are passed through the air when someone having TB (lungs or throat) coughs, speaks, laughs, sings, or sneezes. Anyone near the sick person with TB can inhale TB germs into their lungs. TB germs can live in the body without making him/her sick. Wearing face masks (just like for Covid) and proper cough etiquette including the eradication of spitting in public places will be helpful in reducing transmission to others.
The main reason for the spread of TB is the high density of population (permanent and transient) in the Colombo City limits. It can be the same in any other overcrowded area in Sri Lanka, especially in the Western Province. The main culprit for this unfortunate situation is unplanned townships. Since Independence, townships were planned by various politicians without considering the health impact on the people. Health was the least considered factor when it came to town planning.
The people who live in unplanned condominiums are deprived of good ventilation. As a result today Sri Lanka is facing various grave health dangers such as TB, dengue, leprosy etc. Hereafter Governments should not let various politicians establish unplanned towns to gain more votes at elections. A full stop needs to be put for unplanned townships.
The current situation is extremely pathetic and an uncountable number of poor people live in slums in Colombo in various `Wattas’ or tenement gardens. They do not have any space or facilities to maintain their personal hygiene and most of the time they inhale contaminated air. They do not have at least one square meter to stand up. It is not only TB that affects them. They are the people who get affected first whatever communicable disease starts to spread in the country. The best example was COVID-19.
Only 30 percent of the total population of Sri Lanka has a good knowledge on TB and its prevention. They belong to the close family members of affected persons who receive medical treatment. No other persons, even those who are well-educated, really know about the disease or prevention. This is a pathetic situation that needs the attention of all relevant authorities, especially the mainstream print and electronic media. Social stigma connected to TB also needs to be totally eradicated.
Anyway Sri Lankans pay the least attention towards their respiratory health and it was very clearly displayed during the COVID-19 period. It is worse now. Sri Lankans are extremely fond of spitting in public places although they crack jokes on people in some other countries for open defecation.
A bus or train ride can provide the best examples for Sri Lankans’ behaviour in public. Anyone can clearly see how they spread all types of airborne communicable diseases by spitting all over and coughing near others without covering their mouths at least using their hands, leave alone using a tissue, a handkerchief or wearing a mask. We should strictly follow health guidelines to end the TB menace.
