Lebanon is putting in motion a screening campaign in Tuberculosis centers across the country from March 28 till March 31, inclusive.
This campaign is organized by the National Tuberculosis Program at the Ministry of Public Health with the support of IOM Lebanon, the United Nations Migration Agency, and Fondation Mérieux
The Ministry of Public Health addressed the public with this message: “If you have been having a cough for more than 2 weeks with one of the following symptoms, fever, night sweats, loss of appetite and weight, and fatigue, visit the nearest Tuberculosis center to get tested.”
Each year, World Tuberculosis Day is observed on March 24 to raise awareness about the devastating and sometimes deadly consequences of the TB epidemic.
Tuberculosis (TB) is to be taken seriously. It is a disease caused by germs spread from person to person through the air via coughs and sneezes. It affects the lungs, but can also affect the brain, the kidneys, or the spine, and it could be lethal without treatment.
According to Mayo Clinic, “Once rare in developed countries, tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985.”
Mayo Clinic lists the signs and symptoms of active TB as follows:
- Coughing for three or more weeks
- Coughing up blood or mucus
- Chest pain, or pain with breathing or coughing
- Unintentional weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Chills
- Loss of appetite
According to the World Health Organization, Tuberculosis is the second deadliest infection in the world.
“Each day, over 4100 people lose their lives to TB, and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since the year 2000,” said WHO
However, these efforts have been countered by the Coronavirus global pandemic, which, according to WHO, “has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.”
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