Medical experts yesterday (26) raised concerns about the possible risk of tuberculosis spreading among children during the upcoming festive season.
Consultant Paediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital (LRH) Deepal Perera, speaking to The Daily Morning, said yesterday (26) that the children with chronic cough should immediately consult a doctor and go for a check-up as the tuberculosis is commonly reported among the children in Sri Lanka.
Perera said that although about 300 tuberculosis patients are reported per year and sometimes it may not be the actual number of patients.
“There are about 300 children who have contracted tuberculosis are reported annually. The statistics had gone down as we could not do tuberculosis testing during the Covid-19 pandemic. The main reason for this rapid increase in the number of patients is the unawareness existing in the society. Most people think that this chronic cough is a symptom of Wheeze. So they refuse to go for required check-ups just using inhalers as a temporary relief,” he said.
Dr. Perera also noted that the parents must be more aware and act responsibly to take their children to a doctor if they have a chronic cough continuously.
“On the other hand, parents should be more concerned about their children if anyone in the family has had tuberculosis in the past. This history should not be concealed from the doctor as it is very important to identify a disease like tuberculosis. It is better to go for a doctor at the very first time you get symptoms as it is treatable,” he said.
When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday, spokesperson of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to give the priority to prevent such public health issues even though there is a health crisis at present.
He also emphasised that not only the Government but also the public have a huge responsibility to protect children from tuberculosis.
“As we know there is a social stigma related to tuberculosis which prevents people from consulting doctors. But it leads to a huge crisis. Usually, during Avurudu and Vesak seasons public gatherings become a common scenario. Underprivileged social communities, people living in highly populated areas, people with low immunity level have been identified as groups with a high risk.
Therefore children living in such groups should be given more attention by the relevant authorities,” he noted.
Several attempts made by The Daily Morning to contact the Minister of Health and Director General of Health Services on this matter proved futile.
Source By themorning.lk
