Pediatrician at Harapan Kita Mother and Children Hospital, Jakarta, Dimas Dwi Saputro warned of the potential transmission of tuberculosis (TB) to children through droplets or splashing of saliva, similar to the transmission of COVID-19.

At a virtual discussion on the Health Ministry’s Health Radio followed from here on Thursday, Saputro explained that TB was a disease caused by a type of bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis that generally attacks the lungs, although it can also affect other parts of the body.

“This is usually transmitted by droplets, droplets of saliva that are very small, approximately under five microns,” he pointed out.

“The very small size makes it easier for it to enter our lungs from our airways and directly into our pulmonary organs,” he noted.

The TB-causing bacteria that can be transmitted via droplets is also easily spread through air, given their small size, similar to the transmission of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“The difference is that if you catch COVID-19 today, you will be sick tomorrow. However, if you catch TB now, you will be sick in two or four weeks, even in a year,” he explained.

This can occur since the bacteria that causes TB infects the body silently.

Regarding transmission to children, he noted that this potential occurs not only through close contact, such as kissing a baby but also when the child is near someone, who has TB.

He noted that children infected with TB indicated that there was local transmission of the bacteria. It is because the droplets that contain TB bacteria can survive in the air for at least four hours.

“TB disease in children is caused by transmission from people, who are sick with TB, which is most often from adults. Hence, TB transmission from one child to another is rare,” Saputro noted.

In connection with this, the government continues to push for the elimination of TB from the country.

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin targeted in November 2022 that starting this year, TB examinations should reach 60 thousand cases per month to support elimination of the disease by 2030.

Detection efforts should be intensified on account of the fact that the rate is still low. According to data from the Ministry of Health, only 50-60 percent, or around 500-600 thousand cases, have been found of the target of 969 thousand TB incident numbers in 2021.

Source: Antara News