Thursday, March 28, 2024 | 18:26 WIB

The grim shadow of tuberculosis during the pandemic

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dr. Hario Baskoro, Sp.P, Ph.D
dr. Hario Baskoro, Sp.P, Ph.D. (Source: EMC HOSPITAL)

Discipline in Medication 

Separately, Persahabatan Hospital Jakarta’s pediatric specialist dr. Tjatur Kuat Sagoro, Sp.A. declared that the number of child tuberculosis patients is about 10% that of adult patients, and they are generally five years old or younger. “Watch out for tuberculosis symptoms among your children! They would appear tired, listless, spiritless, and suffer from non-remitting cough. If they only cough at night, it might be asthma. You need to be extra wary if there’s a tuberculosis sufferer in your family or neighborhood environs,” he said. 

On the other hand, the fact that tuberculosis treatment lasts every single day for six whole months is something that parents of young patients complain about. “But that’s just how it is! This is a potentially fatal disease, and it’s only natural that overcoming it takes a lot of time and energy and effort. Parents must be aware of this. They must help the child be disciplined and take their medicine properly at the same time each day, without missing a beat. You cannot interrupt treatment, or you will encourage the bacteria in your child’s body to be resistant to the drug. This makes for even longer, harsher treatment. If not fully cured, tuberculosis can easily recur in adulthood when the person’s immunity is down because of exhaustion or otherwise,” dr. Tjatur said. 

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Like with all other illnesses, it is much better to prevent tuberculosis than to treat it. Adopt a healthy lifestyle – consume nutritious food every day, do exercises routinely, get sufficient sleep, and most importantly, stop smoking. Free your home environs from cigarette smoke and keep your lungs healthy. (est)

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