Jakarta, Sept. 30 -- Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno has declared tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia an emergency, calling for a level of serious handling as when the country was battling with COVID-19.

"This is a serious issue. TB handling must be mainstreamed to create a critical mass and a strong social movement, from the grassroots to national leadership," Pratikno said here on Tuesday.

He emphasized that TB is a national problem requiring comprehensive action from all sectors. TB-related deaths globally have reached one billion over the past 200 years, or about five million annually, surpassing global COVID-19 fatalities.

According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 by the World Health Organization...