On tuberculosis international day, over 3,300 cases in Syria, treatment is free in 13 centers

Through the National Tuberculosis Control Program, the Ministry of Health continues to provide free diagnosis and treatment services to patients through 13 specialized centers in various governorates, while working to limit the spread of infection by surveying contacts and managing their condition before their disease turns into an active state.

In a symposium organized by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the World Health Organization on the occasion of the World Tuberculosis Day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, the Minister of Health, Dr. Muhammad Al-Ghabash, revealed that the number of tuberculosis cases discovered last year amounted to 3,357 cases, in addition to 17 resistant tuberculosis patients and 7100 contacts who were followed up and managed.

The Minister of Health stressed that the provision of health care for tuberculosis patients and investigational medical services continues despite the challenges of the unjust economic siege imposed on Syria.

For her part, the representative of the World Health Organization, Dr. Akjmal Makhtimova, pointed out the importance of integrating the efforts of the international community to address the disease, reduce the suffering of millions of infected people in the world, and contribute to reducing injuries and deaths.

The Director of Communicable and Chronic Diseases at the Ministry stated that the diagnostic and treatment services for tuberculosis patients are provided free of charge with the continuous updating of treatment protocols to keep pace with global developments and recommendations, noting that the National Tuberculosis Control Program has taken many measures to alleviate the suffering of patients and facilitate their access to services during the Covid 19 pandemic, including activating the role of mobile clinics in the countryside of Damascus and Aleppo to detect injuries. He pointed out that work is underway to secure mobile clinics in Homs, Hama, Lattakia and Tartous, expand the laboratory network to detect tuberculosis in various governorates, and secure modern equipment, including modern optical and electronic microscopes, as well as radiological detection devices.

The head of the Syrian Society for the Control of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases highlighted the society’s role in spreading awareness of the dangers of the disease and supporting patients.

The World Health Organization stated in its reports that while 66 million lives have been saved since 2000, the Covid-19 pandemic has undermined the gains, and for the first time in more than a decade, 2020 saw an increase in deaths due to tuberculosis.

The World Tuberculosis Day, which falls on March 24, aims to raise awareness of this disease, which is still one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, according to the World Health Organization.