PETALING JAYA: Malaysia reported 26,183 cases of tuberculosis (TB) in 2024, which is a marginal increase of 34 cases from 2023, says the Health Ministry.
A total of 21,959 of these infections involved Malaysians – which is lower than the 22,132 cases reported the year before.
In 2019, 22,181 cases were reported among Malaysians. This was followed by 19,695 in 2020, 18,136 in 2021 and 21,068 infections in 2022.
Meanwhile, 4,224 cases were detected among foreigners last year, with the numbers continuing to rise since 2019, the ministry said in a Dewan Negara written reply on March 13.
There were 3,384 cases reported in 2019, followed by 3,278 (2020), 3,050 (2021), 3,720 (2022) and 4,017 (2023).
“The TB fatality rate for Malaysia was 6.8 for every 100,000 residents in 2019 which increased to 7.1 (2020), followed by 6.68 (2021), 7.88 (2022), 7.86 (2023) and 7.58 (2024),” it said.
Sarawak (12.07), Sabah (11.84) and Kuala Lumpur (9.32) recorded the highest fatality rate.
“TB patients can recover if they receive treatment administered by their doctors. But, TB can cause deaths if left untreated or if treatment is delayed,” it said.
“The number of new TB infections among citizens between 2019 and 2024 was between 84% and 86.9%, while among non-citizens, it was between 13.2% and 16.1%,” it added.
Citing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the Health Ministry said the target is to reduce cases by 80% and death rates by 90% by 2030.
“Based on this target, Malaysia would (have had to) reduce the new TB infections to 5,000 in 2023 whereas the death rate was supposed to be reduced to 2.2 for every 100,000 residents,” it said.
“The ministry will strive to achieve the target for 2030. One of the initiatives was the National Strategic Plan to End TB (2021-2030),” it added.
It said the plan’s main strategy is early detection through targeted screening, early treatment and ensuring that patients recuperate to prevent the spread of infection.
Patients who display symptoms such as prolonged cough and fever that exceeds two weeks, a lack of appetite, losing weight, sweating at night and coughing blood would be screened for TB.
High-risk individuals suffering from diseases such as HIV, on dialysis for renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and diabetes; senior citizens, smokers and inmates who come into contact with TB patients are also screened.
The ministry also conducts screening for latent TB infection (LTBI). LTBI occurs when a person is infected with the TB bacteria but the infection remains dormant and without symptoms, though an active infection may develop in the future.
With preventive treatment for TB, the risk of infection is reduced by up to 10%.
The Health Ministry has also procured three units of ultra-portable X-ray with artificial intelligence to detect TB cases in and out of healthcare facilities, especially in remote areas and areas with logistical challenges.
The ministry was responding to a question by Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran on the statistics of new cases for the past five years and whether Malaysia is on track to achieve its target in relation to TB cases.
