Tuberculosis is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases. According to unofficial data in Ukraine, already 600 thousand people suffer from it. people. “The word does not reflect what is actually going on there” – said Krzysztof Grzesik, director of the Provincial Hospital of Lung Diseases and Rehabilitation in Jaroszowiec, for RMF FM. Is Poland in danger of a tuberculosis pandemic? The vote on this matter was taken by the head of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Marek Posobkiewicz.
– Don’t panic. We must remember that wherever there is a greater number of unvaccinated people and a sick person comes, an infectious disease such as tuberculosis is happy, because it is an ideal environment for it to spread – he said in an interview with RMF Posobkiewicz. However, he immediately noted that Poland was prepared for a rapid increase in the incidence. If necessary, it will be possible to introduce the so-called emergency vaccinations (quarantine). Posobkiewicz also reminds that tuberculosis vaccination has been mandatory for 40 years “so the young population is protected”.
The problem, however, is that more and more people are refusing mandatory vaccinations. As RMF writes, many of them concerned vaccination against tuberculosis.
There is also a question whether it would not be worth introducing compulsory control tests on the border with Ukraine in the current situation. According to the head of the GIS, there is no such need at the moment: – The situation is not so bad that it is necessary to close the borders and examine people when entering the country – he argues, noting at the same time: – The increased number of people from Ukraine who come to Poland is not a question last months but last few years. Many Ukrainians live and work in Poland, our situation has not worsened ».
Every year, over seven thousand Poles suffer from tuberculosis. You can catch the disease through close contact, such as being in a room for a long time, with someone who coughs, coughs up, talks or laughs loudly. Then the tuberculosis bacilli circulate in the air and become infected when inhaled. Tuberculosis can attack virtually any organ (lymph nodes, joints and bones, and the spinal cord in children) or many of them at the same time. Most often, however, the disease affects the lungs. Hence, symptoms such as:
- cough that lasts for at least 3 weeks, initially dry and then moist
- krwioplucie
- dyspnoea
- pain in the chest
- fever or low-grade fever
- night sweats
- weakness and easy fatigue with little effort.
In some patients tuberculosis may be asymptomatic and it is detected completely by chance.
Krzysztof Grzesik, director of the Provincial Hospital of Lung Diseases and Rehabilitation in Jaroszowiec, in an interview with RMF, emphasized that a national program for the prevention of tuberculosis should be created. He also appeals to doctors: – Tuberculosis has dropped out of the catalog of diseases that are searched for in medical research. My call is that tuberculosis doctors should “put them back on the table”.
According to WHO, more than 2 billion people are infected with tuberculosis. The worst epidemiological situation of tuberculosis is in the Third World countries of Asia and Africa. In addition to AIDS, tuberculosis is the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases in the world (over 2 million people annually). Over 95 percent cases occur in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, as well as Brazil and Our Country. More than half of all patients (59%) live in Asia.
Comp. on the basis of:
twojezdrowie.rmf24.pl; RMF24