KUALA LUMPUR: On World Tuberculosis Day 2025, the Health Ministry reaffirms its goal to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health concern by 2035.
In a statement on Monday (March 24), the ministry said that in conjunction with the commemoration of Dr Robert Koch's discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on March 24, 1882, the Madani government and Health Ministry are committed to this goal.
It said this year's theme is 'Stop TB Together: Great Commitment, Fund and Service', aligning with the global theme 'Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, and Deliver'.
"We (the government and Health Ministry) plan to make eliminating tuberculosis a health priority in Malaysia," it said.
"There will be steps to strengthen and close the financial gap in accessing quality healthcare and technology," it added.
"We are strengthening public health interventions such as early detection, comprehensive treatment and support to the patient," it read.
The ministry shared that Malaysia reported 26,183 cases of tuberculosis in 2024, a marginal increase of 34 cases (0.1%) from 2023.
"The incidence and death rates have shown a downward trend," it said.
"This reflects the ongoing impact of public health interventions despite facing great challenges in the effort to completely eliminate tuberculosis," it added.
"The tuberculosis incident rates have gone down by 1.8% for every 100,000 Malaysians," it said.
"It was 76.9 in 2024 compared to 78.3 in 2023.
"The tuberculosis fatality rate for Malaysia was 7.6 in 2024 compared to 7.9 in 2023, reducing by 3.8% (per 100,000).
"In 2024, there were 2,580 tuberculosis-related deaths compared to 2,623 in 2023," it read.
The ministry said tuberculosis is spread through airborne droplets from untreated patients when they cough, sneeze or speak.
"Therefore, preventive practices such as covering one's mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and wearing a face mask are essential to prevent the spread of infection," it said.
"The common symptoms of tuberculosis include a prolonged cough (exceeding two weeks), fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss and in some cases, coughing up blood," it added.
"Individuals experiencing these symptoms are advised to undergo an immediate medical examination at a nearby health facility to obtain early treatment," it said.
The ministry said high-risk individuals include those with diseases such as HIV, those on dialysis for renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and diabetes, senior citizens and smokers.
"Periodic screening is highly recommended for those in this group to ensure early detection," it said.
"This increases the chance of a full recovery. It is important to emphasise that tuberculosis is not caused by harm through black magic (santau) or a hereditary disease," it said.
"It is an infectious disease that can be completely cured with consistent treatment according to the recommendations of medical practitioners," added the ministry
The ministry then said that tuberculosis patients should not be marginalised.
"They should be shown support and empathy, as community acceptance is an important element in successful treatment and recovery," it said.
"We (the ministry) are committed to strengthening control over the spread of tuberculosis in the country," it added.
"We have taken various approaches, including the use of the latest diagnostic technology that is faster, accurate and user-friendly," it said.
"Strengthening the patient monitoring system to ensure treatment compliance, as well as increasing the number of health workers to effectively manage tuberculosis," it added.
