Sri Lanka may have as many as 5,000 tuberculosis patients who remain undiagnosed, according to the Director of the National Programme for Tuberculosis Control and Chest Diseases, Dr. Pramitha Shanthilatha.
Speaking at a conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau on Wednesday (18), Dr. Shanthilatha revealed that 8,726 tuberculosis cases were reported in the country last year.
She noted that the majority of identified patients suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis, with about 57% of them capable of transmitting the disease to others.
Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death among communicable diseases in Sri Lanka. Of the patients reported last year, 5,622 were men, with the highest number of cases recorded in the Colombo District, she further revealed.
Dr. Shanthilatha further advised that anyone experiencing a cough lasting more than two weeks, unexplained weight loss, mild fever, or loss of appetite should immediately seek medical attention at a respiratory disease clinic. (Newswire)