Star blames BN for TB Outbreak

RANAU :  The recent revelation by Sabah Health Department of a possible TB-infested Sabah is alarming, and it is irresponsible for both the Federal and State governments not to take drastic action to alleviate the situation.

To State Reform Party (Star), four deaths weekly of TB alone and 10 new cases of it being detected every week in Sabah is a serious matter as though curable, TB's treatment affect the productivity in the state. In other countries TB are almost unheard of nowadays.


The revelation by the department's principal assistant director (TB/Leprosy), Dr Richard Avoi at a health seminar in Kota Kinabalu over the weekend should have been an eye-opener for the state (it was a frontpage lead story of one daily), however none of the cabinet care to say anything on it.

I wonder if the state tourism minister is concerned about such news of a prevalent infectious disease would have negative effect on tourism. Such bad news especially on health issue is a big matter to many foreign tourists. Unlike before, news are now picked up quickly by online portals and i don't think tourists would put Sabah as priority place to go if they know we are infested with TB virus.

Anyway we thank Dr Avoi for the revelation at the seminar, otherwise we would never know the severity of the TB outbreak in Sabah. Politicians of the ruling party would love to conceal such "negative" reports.

We also thank the officer for pointing that TB is most prevalent among the illegal immigrants, and that they are the reason for this TB outbreak in Sabah. But actually the root cause of this problem is the Umno-led Barisan Nasional policies that had all these years encouraged these migrants from southern Philippines and Indonesia to settle down illegally in Sabah.

It is correct therefore to say the issue of illegal immigrants is indeed the "mother of all problems" in Sabah. It is also not wrong to say that the ruling party BN is the "father of all problems" in the state

According to the State Health Department an average of 10 are diagnosed with TB in Sabah every week, and most of those afflicted are foreigners.

"Kota Kinabalu ranks the highest (afflictions), followed by Tawau and Sandakan," revealed the department's principal assistant director (TB/Leprosy), Dr Richard Avoi at a health seminar.

According to him, TB is closely associated with poverty, overcrowded places, alcoholism, malnutrition and drug abuses, all of whom are prevalent in the three Sabah's major towns, increasingly infested with illegal immigrants from southern Philippines and Indonesia.

"The TB disease spreads easily in overcrowded, poorly ventilated places and among people who are undernourished," Dr Avoi had said.

The revelation by Dr Avoi raises the possibility that Sabah's wet markets, certain shopping complexes and cinemas, places popular among the mushrooming immigrants, as TB-infested points.

Those frequenting these places, Sabahans and immigrants alike, are now vulnerable to contract the dreaded infectious disease, which in other countries had been completely eradicated.

The risk is high considering the fact that TB virus can infect people of any age, and once infected, the whole family or acquaintances in contact with a TB carrier risk getting it too. "Being about three feet away from someone with TB can increase chances of getting pulmonary TB," Dr Avoi had said.

According to him, there would be a very high risk of getting TB if one is trapped inside a long-distance bus especially if more than eight hours with someone with TB is in the bus. This makes the buses traveling from east coast towns like Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Sandakan into Kota Kinabalu even a high risk venture now, considering many immigrants are using these public transports.

Meanwhile, President of Consumer Protection Association of Sabah (Caps), James Bagah, said the revelation was alarming enough for the public to take precaution when they are in crowded places.

"We advise consumers to avoid if possible places where they think would expose them to infectious diseases including the dreaded TB," he said in Kota Kinabalu today.

Bagah also called on the authorities to increase awareness talks about the TB before it spreads to more people. "I am bit concerned as there seem to be more and more people coughing nowadays. You can see it for yourself everywhere, i hope its is just the weather and not something serious like TB," he added.

What makes it worse, according to Dr Avoi, is that about 17 percent of TB patients among the immigrants do not complete their TB treatment, which normally takes at least six months of medications and injections. Three percent of the local patients also do not complete theirs, he said.

And worse still, according to Dr Avoi, the BCG shot for babies does not guarantee 100 percent that one would not contract TB virus. Other than pulmonary TB, other TB types are bones TB, skin TB, lymph node TB and even brain TB.