The Honam Regional Disease Response Center of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (Director Yoon Junghwan) announced on the 22nd that, in collaboration with Gwangju City and related institutions in the region, it will provide tuberculosis prevention education, promotional activities, and free tuberculosis screening for foreigners residing in the area on the 23rd, in commemoration of World Tuberculosis Day.
This event is being held to inform foreign workers living in Korea about tuberculosis prevention guidelines, as well as the importance of early detection and treatment.
The prevention education will be available in multiple languages (Uzbek, Russian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, etc.) so that foreigners can easily understand. The main topics include ▲the definition of tuberculosis ▲routes of infection and symptoms ▲methods of tuberculosis screening, and more.
In particular, to emphasize the importance of early screening, on-site tuberculosis screening (such as chest X-rays) will be provided in cooperation with the Gwangju-Jeonnam Branch of the Korean National Tuberculosis Association for those who wish to participate, and the results will be communicated to them.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that develops when Mycobacterium tuberculosis, released by the coughs or sneezes of patients with contagious tuberculosis, enters the lungs of others through the air. It can be completely cured with treatment.
With the increasing number of foreigners residing in Korea, the proportion of tuberculosis patients who are foreigners is also on the rise, making management necessary. If diagnosed with tuberculosis, foreigners can receive the same treatment and management as Korean nationals.
Director Yoon Junghwan stated, "If you have a cough that lasts for more than two weeks, please visit your nearest public health center for a tuberculosis screening," and added, "If you have difficulty accessing services due to communication barriers, please actively utilize the interpretation services provided by the Gwangju Foreign Residents Support Center."
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