JAKARTA - Tuberculosis (TBC) is still one of the main health problems in Indonesia. Based on the 2024 Global TB Report, Indonesia occupies the second most positions in the world after India in the number of TB cases.
Reporting from the official website of the Ministry of Health, there were around 135 thousand cases in children aged 0'14 years. This figure confirms that the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis in children should be a serious concern throughout Indonesia.
TB or Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This disease mostly attacks the lungs, but it can also hit other organs such as the membrane of the brain, intestines, lymph nodes, kidneys, bones, and the skin.
Transmission occurs by air, especially through saliva splashes from TB patients when coughing, sneezing, or talking without covering the mouth and nose. Children who have close contact with sufferers are very at risk of contracting it.
TB Symptoms In Children
The Ministry of Health emphasized the importance of parents' vigilance in recognizing TB signs in children. Some of the symptoms that need to be considered include:
- Children's weight has dropped or not increased in the last two months.
- Fever lasts more than two weeks or repeats for no apparent reason, usually with temperatures that are not too high.
- Cough for more than two weeks is getting worse and not getting better despite being given antibiotics.
- The child looks weak, sluggish, and less actively playing.
- A lump appears on the glands in the neck, lower jaw, armpit, or groin.
These symptoms are often similar to other diseases, so medical examinations are very important to ensure diagnosis.
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Diagnosed And Treated
Diagnosing TB in children is not as easy as in adults. If adults are usually enough with phlegm examinations, in children this procedure is often difficult to do. Therefore, doctors use additional methods such as tuberculosis tests, torac photos, to special scoring systems (screening systems) that combine clinical symptoms and supporting examinations.
The good news is that tuberculosis in children can be cured with the right treatment. However, drugs must be taken in a disciplined manner to the end. If the treatment stops in the middle of the road, this disease risks developing into TB resistance or drug-resistant, which is much more difficult to deal with.
Prevention Of TB Transmission In Children
There are several important steps parents can take to protect their children from tuberculosis, including:
- Provide BCG vaccination for newborns.
- Maintain a balanced nutritional intake so that the child's immune system remains good.
- Identifying the source of transmission, for example family members with tuberculosis, and ensuring they receive treatment until they recover.
- Provides TB Prevention Therapy (TPT) to children living in the same house as active TB patients.
- Keep the home environment clean, not moist, and get enough sunlight.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that information about TB symptoms in children is very important to increase vigilance. Parents are encouraged to pay attention to children's growth and immediately take them to health facilities if suspicious symptoms appear.
With the right early detection and treatment, tuberculosis in children can be overcome. In addition, implementing Clean and Healthy Lifestyle (PHBS) is also an important step in preventing transmission in the family and community.
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