NewsDesk @bactiman63

According to preliminary data from the Health Surveillance Directorate of the Ministry of Health, during 2022 a total of 375 cases of tuberculosis were registered, which represents an increase of 5% compared to 2021, when they counted 357 cases.

TB
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Image/CDC

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Koch’s bacillus) that mainly affects the lungs. However, it can also occur in other organs such as: the skin, the liver, the kidneys, the genitals and the meninges, among others.

The transmission of the bacteria that cause Tuberculosis can occur from a sick person to a susceptible person, through the droplets that are expelled when speaking, sneezing and especially when coughing. Especially when crowded conditions exist.

Of the total cases reported in 2022, 68% (256 cases) correspond to men, while 32% (119 cases) belong to women, a figure that is maintained compared to 2021, where 239 of the total cases registered were in men and 118 in women.

Legends of microbiology and infectious diseases: Robert Koch

The provinces with the highest number of tuberculosis cases during the year are San José with 114 cases, followed by Limón with 98 and Alajuela with 60 cases. It is important to indicate that the age group most affected by this disease is the population with an age range of 20 to 64 years, which accounted for 284 cases of the total reported in 2022.

Likewise, in 2021 a total of 34 deaths were recorded, of which 26 were men and eight women.

The Ministry of Health calls on the population that in case of presenting symptoms such as coughing up phlegm for more than two weeks, pain when breathing and coughing, sudden weight loss, fatigue, night sweats and fever at the end of the day, attend the nearest health center.

Tuberculosis is a curable disease if we join efforts to detect and treat cases on time, we will be able to achieve the goal of eliminating tuberculosis in Costa Rica.