Kelantan records 50 tuberculosis deaths in first six months of 2023
KUALA KRAI - The State Health Department (JKNK) recorded 50 deaths out of 666 cases of tuberculosis reported in the first six months of this year.
Its director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin said most tuberculosis patients in Kelantan involved adults aged 55 to 64 years.
"It (tuberculosis) also involved children, which is around 10 per cent,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after officiating the state-level Tuberculosis Day celebration at the Kuala Krai Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) here today.
Dr Zaini said the number of cases this year showed an increasing trend compared to the 1,074 cases recorded throughout last year.
He said the increase was due to some patients taking it easy by delaying further treatment.
"This is most noticeable when some patients do not seek full treatment as the treatment period for tuberculosis is long.
"Tuberculosis patients who end up dying usually have other diseases such as heart, diabetes and so on, in addition to the disease itself being at a chronic level," he said. - BERNAMA
