A medical worker instructs a tuberculosis patient to have a lung X-ray. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Lành

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has a high number of tuberculosis (TB) patients, and a large number of cases with high risk of infection in the community, so proactively detecting the disease at grassroots levels is extremely important.

Đinh Văn Lượng, Director of the National Lung Hospital and Head of the Executive Committee of the National Tuberculosis Programme, made the statement at the national conference to summarise the anti-tuberculosis programme this year and set plans for 2024.

The conference, which attracted representatives from all 63 provinces and cities, was held in Hà Nội on Friday.

He highly appreciated provinces and cities' efforts and results in controlling TB this year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that last year, about 174,000 new TB patients were discovered, and 11,000 people died from the disease in Việt Nam.

In the first nine months this year, the anti-tuberculosis programme detected 78,674 cases of TB of different kinds, an increase of 1,909 compared with the same period last year and 19,214 compared with 2021.

Detection of multidrug-resistant TB in the first nine months this year was 2,764 patients; which was nine per cent, 44 per cent and four per cent higher than in 2020, 2021 and last year, respectively.

Lượng said that the number of people dying from TB each year was very high, even higher than deaths from traffic accidents.

Associate professor Nguyễn Bình Hòa, Deputy Director of the National Lung Hospital, said that like other countries in the world, TB prevention in Việt Nam was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What is worrying is that each year, Việt Nam has more than 170,000 TB cases, but only about 100,000 are treated and reported. Thus, about 40 per cent of TB patients who have not been detected are in the community, leaving a potential risk of infection," he said.

Besides difficulties, this year, the anti-tuberculosis programme initially achieved positive achievements in applying artificial intelligence to TB diagnosis.

It brings great significance to TB detection, especially in cases that are difficult to assess.

Proactive detection

The national anti-tuberculosis programme has made efforts to maintain TB prevention in all districts, communes and wards.

The programme’s report showed that the total number of TB patients detected by public and private health facilities in the first nine months this year was 26,300 patients, accounting for 33.4 per cent of the total.

Thus, detection at medical facilities clearly showed effectiveness.

Director Lượng said that when people come for an initial medical examination, they would receive TB screening and screening for lung diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, and lung cancer. — VNS