Kobe City: September 24 to September 30 is Tuberculosis Prevention Week

Press Release (September 20, 2023)
Health Department, Health Division, Health Bureau
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare designates September 24 to September 30 as “Tuberculosis Prevention Week” every year to promote correct knowledge about tuberculosis. The City of Kobe will also provide citizens with information on tuberculosis in Kobe City. Please take this opportunity to think about prevention of tuberculosis as well as corona.
Tuberculosis bacteria live in the human body. It does not live in the air or in dust. When a person with tuberculosis bacteria develops the disease and begins to have symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, due to a decline in physical strength, the tuberculosis bacteria are released into the air. These particles, called droplet nuclei, have a diameter of about 5 microns and float through the air, and are unknowingly inhaled along with the air, resulting in infection.

In Japan, nearly 10,000 new cases of

TB

occur annually, and approximately 2,000 people die.
In Kobe City, about 150 new cases occur annually, and the morbidity rate (the number of newly registered TB cases per 100,000 population) in 2022 was 9.8, which is higher than the national rate (8.2).

2. For early detection and early treatment,

have a regular chest X-ray medical checkup (TB medical checkup) every year. It is possible to detect TB before symptoms appear and before there is a possibility of infecting others. Please check the schedule of the checkups in the ward residents’ newsletter.
Tuberculosis is a disease that can be cured by taking proper medication. If you feel wind symptoms or any other physical discomfort, or if your cough and phlegm persist for more than two weeks after being told that you do not have a new type of coronavirus infection or influenza, wear a mask and visit a medical institution as soon as possible. It is also common for TB to be discovered during treatment for another illness. Consult with your doctor and have a chest X-ray or sputum examination as appropriate. Early detection and early treatment is the best way to prevent yourself from becoming seriously ill and to prevent infecting your loved ones.

3. Tuberculosis Prevention PR activities to be conducted in conjunction with Tuberculosis Prevention Week

(1) PR video broadcast

City Hall Building No. 1, 1st floor

(2) Poster display

Minato Kobe Gallery (Minato Bank Head Office, September 14 – 29), Flower Clock Gallery (underground passage in front of City Hall, September 21 – 27),
Kobe City Subway (September 24 –

(Sept.

24-30), ward offices, etc.