JAKARTA - The success of tuberculosis (TB) treatment depends heavily on the patient's discipline in undergoing therapy to the end. Stopping treatment in the middle of the road not only harms the patient's health condition, but also has the potential to extend the chain of transmission of the disease in the community.
The Health Office reminds TB patients not to stop treatment before time, considering the serious impact it can have, both for patients and the surrounding environment.
Head of the Prevention and Disease Control (P2P) of the Jambi City Health Office, Rini Kartika, said that treatment that was not completed according to the provisions risked triggering drug-resistant TB. This condition makes patients have to undergo treatment with more types of drugs and a much longer duration.
"Discontinued TB treatment is very dangerous, because it can cause drug-resistant TB cases, which are much more difficult to treat because they require more types of drugs, longer treatment time, and still have the potential to be a source of transmission for the surrounding environment," said Rini Kartika.
Based on Jambi City Health Office data, during 2025 a total of 1,972 TB patients underwent treatment. Of these, 648 patients were declared cured or had completed treatment, 104 patients were recorded as having dropped out of treatment or Loss to Follow Up (LFU), 134 patients died, one patient experienced treatment failure, and 1,085 patients are still undergoing treatment.
To reduce the number of transmissions and ensure that patients receive treatment as early as possible, the Health Office continues to strengthen active case finding efforts. This step is carried out through contact investigations and home visits, especially for individuals who have a history of close contact with TB patients.
Rini explained that TB treatment has its own challenges because it is quite long, about six months and can be more than a year in certain conditions.
Therefore, in TB therapy there is a role for Medication Swallowing Supervisors (PMO) which generally come from the patient's family members, to prevent drug discontinuation.
"TB in adults is generally initiated with symptoms of coughing and phlegm for more than two weeks, while in infants, toddlers, and children it can be characterized by weight gain or growth that is not age-appropriate, so patients are advised to undergo treatment to the end, use masks during the results of sputum examination are still positive, increase family nutrition intake, and ensure that the condition of the house has adequate ventilation," said Rini Kartika.
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