PREVENTION OF TUBERCULOSIS
Tuberculosis is still the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the world. Every day, almost 4,500 people die from this preventable and curable disease, and almost 30,000 people become ill with it. In September 2018, in an effort to accelerate the fight against tuberculosis, the heads of state held the first-ever UN High-level Meeting, at which they made large-scale commitments to eliminate tuberculosis. For more than 30 years, every year on March 24, the world community celebrates World Tuberculosis Day. The International Holiday was established in 1982 by the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases together with the World Health Organization. The date of the celebration was timed to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of the causative agent of the disease — Koch's bacillus.
On this World TB Day, WHO calls on Governments, TB-affected communities, civil society organizations, health institutions, and national and international partners to join forces under the motto"Identify, treat all, eliminate TB" so that no one is left behind.
World Tuberculosis Day 2019 is held under the slogan"It's time to act,"a reminder of the need to meet the commitments of world leaders in the fight against tuberculosis as quickly as possible. The emblem of TB Day is a white chamomile, which represents healthy breathing.
The goal of the TB Day is to draw attention to the scale of the spread of the infection, which threatens the health and lives of millions of people on the planet and the need to take effective measures to remedy the situation.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease known to mankind for many centuries. They can be infected in various ways: airborne, contact-household, food. The insidiousness of the infection lies in the fact that it gradually destroys the human body and in the initial stages is asymptomatic.
Unfortunately, the majority of the population believes that tuberculosis affects only the disadvantaged segments of the population. This is not true. Anyone can get sick, and even from well-off families with normal incomes, because people have different resistance to tuberculosis.
In the context of the increased attention of the Government of the Russian Federation to the health of the population of our country, the problems of tuberculosis, as a socially significant disease, are very relevant and are constantly monitored at the state level. Especially acute are the problems with the increased cases of detection of tuberculosis patients with multidrug resistance of the pathogen to anti-tuberculosis drugs as a result of the Koch bacillus mutation, cases of tuberculosis among HIV-infected people, which significantly reduces the chances of a cure.
The main task in improving the epidemiological situation is to implement measures to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the population from tuberculosis, which, first of all, includes the prevention of tuberculosis. This is an annual fluorographic survey of the population over 15 years of age and tuberculin diagnostics among children. The effectiveness and importance of preventive examinations is evidenced by the fact that 77.4% of the number of tuberculosis patients in 2018 were identified during preventive examinations and did not make any complaints. In children, the most important method of specific prevention is also anti-tuberculosis BCG immunization, which helps to fight tuberculosis infection if it enters the body. Unfortunately, in the region, cases of refusal of parents to vaccinate children against tuberculosis have become more frequent, which creates a threat of tuberculosis in children.
Much attention is paid to the problems of tuberculosis by the Administration of the Lipetsk region and the Health Department. Every year, funding is provided from the federal and regional budgets for the purchase of medicines for the treatment of patients, the purchase of the latest medical and diagnostic equipment, and the strengthening of the material and technical base. In 2018, a new, free-standing building of the children's department was put into operation, in which a single children's polyclinic department, day and round-the-clock hospitals were deployed. All TB care for children is concentrated here. Well-equipped tuberculosis sanatoriums for the treatment of adults and children continue to operate in the region. Antitubercular sanatoriums of federal subordination are actively used for treatment and rehabilitation.
The main sections of the work of the anti-tuberculosis service of the region are: comprehensive treatment of tuberculosis patients, dispensary monitoring of patients, preventive work, coordination of work on early detection of tuberculosis in institutions of the general medical network, health education of the population.
Actively and persistently carried out anti-tuberculosis measures have made it possible to achieve stabilization of the epidemiological situation on tuberculosis in the region in recent years, but the situation is still unstable. In 2018, 345 cases of tuberculosis were registered in the region, which is 58 cases more than in 2017. The incidence rate was 30.0 per 100 thousand people. The share of sick permanent residents of the region was 82.0%, a total of 283 people fell ill. The incidence rate of the permanent population decreased from 25.5 per 100 thousand population in 2017 to 24.6 in 2018.
Against the background of a decrease in the incidence of tuberculosis in 2018, there is an increase in mortality from tuberculosis. A total of 22 people died, the figure was 1.9 per 100 thousand of the population, which is 18.8% higher than in 2017. (2017-22 people-1.6 per 100 thousand US). Tuberculosis among children was registered for 1 case more – 10 people, the incidence of adolescents remained at the same level – 3 people.
The achieved indicators in the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in the region do not give grounds for weakening preventive measures. This can lead to the spread of tuberculosis infection, and, consequently, to an increase in morbidity and mortality from tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is a problem of the whole society, it is impossible to stop tuberculosis by the efforts of medical workers alone. Everyone should know about tuberculosis, about the methods of its prevention and apply this knowledge in everyday life.
The main objectives of the World Tuberculosis Day in 2019 are aimed at attracting the attention of public and state organizations to the problem of tuberculosis. Informing the general public about the danger and serious consequences of tuberculosis infection, about measures of personal and public prevention of the disease, about the need for timely preventive examinations for early detection of the disease and timely treatment, to emphasize the importance of each person's personal contribution to solving the problem of combating tuberculosis.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer
on organizational and methodological work
GUZ " Lipetsk Regional
TB dispensary»
Horuzhaya Galina Nikolaevna
