Portland Health Dept. Raises Awareness About Tuberculosis

With March 24 observed as World Tuberculosis Day annually, the Portland Health Department says it has been embarking on a month-long intervention to raise awareness about the disease.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation, Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sharon Lewis, said that the disease has significant health, social, and financial impacts.

“We’ll be conducting tuberculosis educational sessions in our health centres, at the hospitals, at two police stations [and] at schools,” Dr. Lewis said.

She advised persons who have a cough for more than two weeks, experience night sweats, weight loss, and fever, to go to their doctor and get checked.

“Tuberculosis still exists. Nationally, there were 60 confirmed cases in 2025, a 13.2 per cent increase from the 53 confirmed cases in 2024. In Portland, there were two confirmed cases in 2025, up from zero case confirmed in 2024,” Dr. Lewis said.

She said that tuberculosis can be cured, but this requires strict adherence to the treatment.

“Close contact of persons with tuberculosis can contract the disease and so should be monitored for a year or two. We want people to be informed and know that tuberculosis is treatable. Persons diagnosed with tuberculosis should also be treated with dignity and should not be stigmatised,” Dr. Lewis said.