TB cases on the rise in Sarawak

Borneo Bulletin: KUCHING - Tuberculosis cases has alarmed Sarawak as not only the number has increased but the disease could be brought in by foreign workers working in the state.
There are about 400,000 to one million illegal immigrants in Malaysia and 3,000 have been detected for having the disease.
Public Health and Environment Minister Datuk Micheal Manyin said here that the increase to 765 cases from Jan to June this year could also be the "result of poor hygiene" among the locals.
Last year, 1,594 cases were reported compared to 1,685 cases in 2003, 1,748 in 2002, 1,885 in 2001 and 1,766 in 2000.
He said in comparison, there were 16,000 new TB cases with 1,200 deaths reported in the country last year compared to 12,062 cases and 1,116 deaths in 2003.
Manyin also urged health care workers to provide better awareness to the general public on the need to be more vigilant against AIDS.
He said the accumulative number of HIV cases reported to the Sarawak Health Department from 1989 to May 2005 were 504 cases.