With 20% patients undiagnosed, risk of TB spreading rises
Bangladesh identified 301,564 tuberculosis (TB) patients in 2023 through the National Tuberculosis Control Programme, but 20% of cases remain undiagnosed.
Healthcare experts warn that undetected patients can spread tuberculosis further in the community.
Dr Ahmed Parvez Zabeen, divisional TB expert of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme, DGHS said, "A major obstacle in controlling TB is the presence of undiagnosed patients, particularly children. Early detection and treatment are key to curb the spread of the disease."
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He also said, "Another critical challenge in TB control is the issue of incomplete treatment. Many patients start taking treatment but fail to complete the full six-month course. This often occurs when they experience early symptom relief and mistakenly believe the infection has been removed. Incomplete treatment leads to a rise in Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis."
DGHS data show that currently, 2,729 people are affected by Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis.
"According to the World Health Organization, there are 10% of child tuberculosis patients in the country. Currently, we are only able to detect 4% of childhood TB cases. Identifying these missed cases is critical to reducing the risk of TB transmission within the community," Dr Parvez said.
To meet the global target of eliminating TB by 2035, healthcare professionals have emphasised the urgent need for early detection and bringing undiagnosed patients into treatment.
In such a situation, World Tuberculosis Day was observed yesterday with the theme, "Yes! We can end TB".
Dr Kamruzzaman, coordinator of the Asthma and TB Centre, Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, told TBS that the rise in childhood TB cases is a major public health concern. However, diagnosing and treating TB in children poses unique difficulties. Children may not exhibit a productive cough, making sputum tests for TB unreliable. Besides, family members remain hesitant about accepting TB diagnoses for their children.
"Undiagnosed TB in children can progress to serious complications, including pneumonia, malnutrition, and even death in cases of brain TB," he added.
Bangladesh ranks 7th among the 30 high-burden countries, according to the World Health Organization's 2023 Global Tuberculosis Report.
To address the challenge, the National Tuberculosis Control Programme has established a network of one National Reference Laboratory and five Regional Reference Laboratories for TB detection across the country.
"Bangladesh needs more molecular diagnostic labs to diagnose TB patients and use AI for X-ray analysis," TB expert Dr Parvez suggested.
To improve access to treatment, the government has begun producing first-line TB drugs domestically and provided free medicine and DOTS providers to ensure medication adherence.
Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, line director of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme, said Bangladesh identified 261,957 TB patients in 2022, and the detection rate continued to increase in 2023.
In 2010, the number of deaths due to tuberculosis in Bangladesh was 54 per 100,000, which declined to 25 per 100,000 in 2022. About 7,000 patients died of tuberculosis in the country in 2023. However, the government has been providing TB Preventive Therapy.
