Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic closes series of lectures with Unipar Medicine students
Exactly 20 people are patients at the Infectious Diseases Clinic for the treatment of tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by Kock’s bacillus discovered 100 years ago – and which still persists in modern society. To give you an idea, in the first quarter of 2024 alone, nine people contracted the disease in Umuarama.
To bring the topic to a greater number of citizens, the Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic, an organization linked to the Municipal Health Department, carries out various actions with all audiences and age groups, such as a series of lectures presented by doctor Celso José Gomes to employees and users of chemical and alcoholic substances who attend Caps-AD (Psychosocial Service Center – Alcohol and Drugs) and to students on the Medicine course at Unipar (Paranaense University), among other entities.
In 10 days, World Tuberculosis Day will be officially celebrated and in Umuarama the Municipal Health Department, through the Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic, has prepared a special schedule to address the topic. This Thursday (14) doctor Celso José Gomes presented lectures to employees and users of chemical and alcoholic substances who attend Caps-AD (Psychosocial Care Center – Alcohol and Drugs). There are currently 20 people undergoing treatment and eight new cases have been confirmed from January until now.
Maria de Lourdes Gianini, coordinator of the Infectious Diseases Clinic, comments that tuberculosis is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs, but can also affect other organs such as bones, kidneys and the meninges (membranes that surround the brain. “As we always highlight , although it is a disease that can be prevented, treated and cured, tuberculosis still kills almost 5 thousand people every year in Brazil, simply because many patients do not receive treatment correctly, either interrupting or abandoning their medication”, he laments.
She also highlights that untreated pulmonary tuberculosis can infect an average of 10 to 15 people per year, when coughing, sneezing and even talking. “The main symptom is coughing for more than two weeks, but it can also be accompanied by fever in the late afternoon, night sweats, inappetence (lack of appetite) and severe weight loss. If a person has these symptoms, immediately seek out the health unit (UBS) closest to their home,” she says.
Finally, Maria de Lourdes reinforces that 15 days after starting treatment, the person no longer transmits the disease. “Treatment must be carried out for a minimum period of 6 months, daily, without any interruption and only ends when the doctor confirms the patient’s total cure”, he warns, adding that anyone who wants more information about tuberculosis – or other STIs (Sexually Infectious Diseases) Transmissible), just look for the Umuarama Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic, which is located at Rua Perobal nº 4488 (at the back of the Medical Specialties Center).
