Down 12% of TB cases in the community of Madrid.

-health emphasizes early diagnosis for this disease control

-community features with mobile devices to ensure the treatment of groups disadvantaged

Madrid, March of 2013.- the Comunidad de Madrid in 2012 recorded a total of 778 cases of tuberculosis – provisional data – which is 12% less compared to the previous year (883 cases), and maintained a downward trend in recent years. The incidence rate of TB in the community of Madrid is 12 cases per 100,000 population, similar to the national level figure.

On the occasion of the celebration of the World TB Day, primary care, Antonio Alemany, CEO reminds that the control of this disease is based on an early diagnosis, treatment to cure monitoring and follow-up of the relatives to the sick. If the treatment is not fulfilled daily, may develop drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is more difficult to cure ”. Tuberculosis is a disease that is preventable and curable; successfully treated up to 95% of the sick are healed completely.

In the community of Madrid, the highest incidence of tuberculosis is recorded in young adults and people over 74 years, although they occur in all ages. The area in which a greater number of cases focuses on the community is the Central District of the capital.

Tuberculosis in foreign-born people represents almost half of the reported cases (45.3%), according to the information of the epidemiology service of the General direction of primary care.

Regional plan

Since 1995 it has with the Regional program on prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in 1995. In the framework of the programme, the community of Madrid has a network of mobile units, make health actions to the most disadvantaged, and attended during 2012 to a total of 226 people affected by tuberculosis. The management of the network is established with Cross Red Espanola-oficina of the community of Madrid under cooperation agreements.

A part of the task that is devoted to the treatment directly observed Tuberculosis, aimed at patients that breach is expected or the failure of the treatment represents a serious impact on the environment of the patient or when there is a history of abandonment.

On the other hand, the Ministry of health, through the General Directorate of primary health care, has informative material about tuberculosis to spread the knowledge of the disease and encourage early diagnosis. The document what you need to know about TB ” is available here and offers information about the transmission of the disease and its treatment as well as prevention of its spread through the tuberculin test performed to the contacts of the patient.