DILI, 9 september 2022 (TATOLI)- The School of Health Research (Menzies) and the Minister of Health (MoH) launched the National Research Prevalence for Tuberculosis Disease (NRPTB) to identify specific levels of TB cases in Timor-Leste.
TB project manager, Josh Francis said the national research for the TB project was very important to assist the government’s efforts to eliminate TB in Timor-Leste by identifying the country-wide steady number of TB patients in TL.
“Many TB patients have not been screened and treated. Therefore, this study helps to identify the number of patients in Timor-Leste,” TB Project Manager Josh Francis told reporters at JLVilla, fatu-hada, Friday.
Francis said Tuberculosis is a dangerous and deadly disease and should therefore be eliminated and reduced in Timor-Leste.
“To help reduce the number of these diseases, Menzies will share information about TB symptoms with rural communities. This helps the public to know how to prevent the spread of this infectious disease. We also provide X-ray tests and examination of sputum samples to patients who experience symptoms of TB before being given TB treatment, ” Francis explained
Deputy Minister of Health, Bonifácio Mau Coli said, the Government through the Minister of Health has made efforts to eradicate TB in Timor-Leste by collaborating with partner Australian School of Health Research (Menzies) to conduct scientific research to find out the number of TB cases in TL.
“The first study was conducted on patients suffering from COVID-19, and the results showed that 83% of COVID-19 patients had TB disease,”
According to Maucoli, the impact can be reflected in an estimate of a bargain necessity rate of 498 for 100,000 habitats: “This is the very essential number in the South Asian region and the death rate is 100/100,000 of the population,”
While the study also identified patients seeking treatment reaching 63% in 2019 and decreasing from 65% to 48% in 2020.
Mau Coli explained several aspects that contributed to the increase in TB rates, including limited health assistance and limited nutrition, especially during the COVID-19 period.
The research will be conducted on more than 50,000 people, over the age of 15 years in 50 rural areas in 12 municipalities and including in RAEOA Oecusse.
The program, implemented was the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Menzies, funded by the Australian Government worth $242 million, the program implemented consisted of TB, Malaria, and HIV SIDA programs.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
