The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is keen to see World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March highlight the importance of early detection of tuberculosis among patients and healthcare providers.
Whilst the number of people who get tuberculosis (TB) in Australia is low and with the World Health Organisation recently reporting that fewer people are dying of TB, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment and prevention of spread. Prevention involves raising awareness of which populations are more at risk of being exposed to and developing active TB.
Adjunct Associate Professor Frank R Jones, Chair of the RACGP Western Australia Faculty, said the challenge facing Australian general practitioners (GPs) is how to maintain awareness of TB while remaining alert to the possibility of infection.
“GPs not only have to manage common diseases, but they also need to be aware of how the less common diseases - such as tuberculosis - present.
“As a nation we’ve made huge inroads to controlling and preventing the spread of TB but we need to keep that level of attention high. The price of prevention is eternal vigilance!
“GPs need to be aware of the presentations of TB in the general practice setting combined with a knowledge of which population groups are at higher risk of developing active TB if they have been infected with TB bacteria.
“Symptoms of the disease can include a persistent cough, fatigue, loss of appetite, unexplained loss of weight, fever and night sweats but sometimes there are no symptoms, which makes it challenging for providers to recognise TB early.
“The time between first presentation and diagnosis is often protracted, due to the nature of the disease and failure by providers to recognise TB early. Late diagnosis not only has consequences for the individual but also has public health implications,” A/Prof Jones said.
To assist GPs in diagnosing TB early and improve their skills in managing the disease, the RACGP’s WA Faculty and the WA Tuberculosis Control Program will be hosting a ‘Tuberculosis update for general practitioners’ educational event on Thursday 15 March in Perth. Practices nurses are also invited to join this session.
Through presentations, workshops and case studies, the ‘Tuberculosis update for general practitioners’ session will address the following:
- Why TB is still relevant in Australia today?
- How is the disease progressing?
- When to suspect reactivation of TB?
- Improve skills in diagnosing TB – pulmonary and extrapulmonary
- Increase awareness of TB services available in Western Australia.
The ‘Tuberculosis update for general practitioners’ educational event will take place on 15 March 2012 from 6.30pm – 9.30pm at the Anita Clayton Centre, Cnr Wellington and Piers Street, Perth.
To read more about TB, visit the WA Department of Health’ website at www.health.wa.gov.au/acc/home.