A fortnight ago, social media was abuzz with stories about a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Cheras, sparking concern among the public. Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa promptly dismissed it as fake news and stressed that although “tuberculosis does exist, it is under control” in Malaysia. The public concern was understandable as the World Health Organisation (WHO) was reported as saying that globally TB cases are on the rise again after years of recording a decline.
WHO, which envisions a world free of TB by 2035, estimated that the number of deaths due to TB rose by 14 percent over a two-year period to 1.6 million in 2021. It was reported one of the reasons for the increase was the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted access to TB diagnosis and treatment. Malaysia too is seeing a hike in TB cases with 25,391 cases reported in 2022, which is 17 percent higher than the 21,727 cases registered in 2021