A risk assessment for tuberculosis (TB) has begun in Maldives as TB infection rates spike in Malaysia, a nation where a number of Maldivians reside.
An official from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) stated tonight that details of the risk assessment will be made public once it is done.
As per a statement released by Malaysia's Health Ministry this week, there have been 596 reported cases of TB in the last seven days alone. With those cases, there are now more than 3,000 people who have been infected with TB.
Reported TB statistics show Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as hot zones, both of which have a high number of Maldivians living there.
The infection is caused by a bacteria known as Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. TB commonly affects the lungs, with it having the chance to spread to other organs as well. It mainly spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, releasing droplets.
Treatment for TB lasts at least six months. If treatment is successful within that time frame, it is an easy infection to cure. If left untreated, the infection becomes more dangerous and could become resistant to medication.
Treatment for TB in Maldives has been following "Directly Observed Treatment" since 1994.
In order to eradicate and reduce TB infection around the globe, WHO had designated a strategy titled "End TB" during the World Health Assembly in 2014.
Under that strategy, Maldives has begun work on becoming a country by 2030 that has reduced TB infection rates to the point where it does not constitute a public health risk. The HPA has stated that they are working to determine that TB has been eradicated from 100 islands.
