Mother Must Know! What to do if a child has TB symptoms?

What should I do if my child has TB symptoms?
TB can be cured by taking regular & complete medication
Treatment duration:
• Mild tuberculosis: for 6 months
• Severe extrapulmonary tuberculosis (brain tuberculosis, bone tuberculosis): 12 months

If the medicine is not taken regularly or the treatment is discontinued, what will be the consequences?
• Disease getting worse
• It can cause TB germs to become drug-resistant, so that the drug takes longer and is more difficult to treat

Why has my child been given the BCG vaccine but still has TB?
• BCG vaccine to prevent TB disease, especially severe TB
• Many factors influence the success of vaccination

TB prevention medicine: my child is healthy, why should I take TB prevention medicine?
• Children, especially toddlers, who are in close contact with pulmonary TB patients are at high risk of infection and severe TB disease which can cause death.
• Preventive medicine can prevent your child from this condition.

My child's caregiver has been diagnosed with pulmonary TB by the doctor, what should I do?
• Children who have close contact with pulmonary TB patients should be examined by a doctor to determine whether they have TB disease
• If you are sick with TB, give TB medicine immediately
• If you are not sick with TB, you need to be given preventive medicine

TB prevention drug regimen, is it the same as TB drugs?
• One drug, taken daily for 6 months
• Two drugs, taken daily for 3 months
• Two drugs, taken once a week for 3 months

How effective are TB prevention drugs?
TB prevention drugs taken regularly and completely can provide 60-80% protection

Is TB in children contagious?
Children who can transmit TB:
• Severe pulmonary tuberculosis
• Positive sputum examination results
• The chest X-ray has a wide range of abnormalities
• Usually in adolescents, but can also occur in younger children

Information related to tuberculosis in children, is expected to increase awareness for parents to be able to pay more attention to growth and development and the various symptoms that appear in the child.
Keep implementing Clean and Healthy Behavior (PHBS), immediately take the child to the nearest health service facility if they experience symptoms of TB to get proper diagnosis and treatment by health workers.