RIYADH — Residents in Kingdom can now receive free diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis at any Ministry of Health facility. Dr. Naila Abu Al-Jadayel, director of communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health, told Saudi Gazette Monday: “This measure is a part of the current national TB health education campaign carried out by the ministry. “All ministry facilities all over the Kingdom have been provided with awareness material on this disease, its nature, prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.” Measures were taken to offer free diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients regardless of nationality and treat those who appear to have contracted the disease, including quarantining those who have been in contact with sufferers, she added. Tuberculosis in general is an infectious disease, caused by a microorganism called mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infection usually occurs by inhalation of the microorganism through the lung that may then spread to other parts of the body via the bloodstream, lymphatic system, airways, or by direct extensions to other organs. Al-Jadayel said symptoms include sweating, persistent coughs for more than two weeks, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and high fever. She said treating the disease requires steps like regular follow-up checks with treating physicians, taking medication regularly for at least six months, good ventilation and exposure to sun, following a healthy diet and good hygiene. According to the Deputy Health Minister for Public Health Dr. Ziad Maimish, the one-year national campaign for TB launched on March 24 to mark the World Day for combating TB. “The aim is to educate people in the Kingdom regardless of nationality on this communicable disease and update them on the latest information on how to avoid getting infected and how to treat the disease if someone contracts it. “Also, it aims to advise them on the ways of getting diagnostic and treatment services at government healthcare facilities all over the Kingdom. “In general it is the result of collaboration between various bodies providing healthcare services, including those in the private sector, to totally eradicate this infectious disease, which has a low incidence rate in the Kingdom.” The campaign acts as a support initiative to the Ministry of Health's long-term national plan to eradicate the disease from the Kingdom by 2040. Figures released by the ministry reveal that 3,872 new TB cases were detected in 2011, a third of them non-Saudis (1,366). The ministry has allocated the toll-free number 8002494444 for inquiries.
