Pakistan requires 50 percent cut in TB incidences by 2015
Pakistan is amongst the 22 high burden tuberculosis states
Under National TB Control Programme, Pakistan is required to cut down the rate of annual TB incidences and mortality rate from Tuberculosis by 50 per cent in the year 2015 and achievement of the TB free country by the year 2050.
Pakistani TB patient
This was stated by Dr Zabihullah of the Association for Community Development (ACD), while addressing a one-day media orientation session on TB for journalists here in Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Monday.
The session moving towards comprehensive DOTS to empower people with TB and communities was organised under the auspices of ACD in collaboration with the department of health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said that TB is deadly disease that wounds lungs and through blood circulation spread to other parts of the body.However, it makes first entry through lungs and spread through air.
He said that it kills 28 persons out of each 0.1 million population annually.
The victims of the diseases are most the people with age 18 years to 49 years and majority of the patients are women.
The purpose of the orientation session, he said is the protection of healthy people from it and promotion of the provision of treatment.
He said that as the disease spread through air, therefore every person breathing in is at risk and only mean of provision is the early case detection and proper treatment.The treatment of one patient, Dr Zabihullah said could protect 10 to 15 persons annually.
The strategy of the TB control programme is the searching out of the patients for early case detection, which require awareness regarding TB suspects.
The signs of the diseases, he said is three weeks or more period of cough.
Such persons, he said have 10 per cent chances to be TB patients.
He said that out of 100 such referred persons 10 will be found TB patients.
He said that TB patients are provided free diagnostic and medical treatment, saying that proper treatment for a specific time period and combination are must otherwise it can become endemic.The rating of Pakistan amongst 22 high burden tuberculosis patients' states has went up to six from eight with the People's Republic of China, India second and Indonesia as first, second and third countries, respectively.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has divided the world into different regions and Pakistan is included in the East Mediterranean Region and out of the total TB cases 55 per cent are found in Pakistan and the remaining 45 per cent patients in other countries of the region.Dr Zabihullah said that regular use of medicines for the specified time period to prevent the disease is necessary.
The time period of medication is 8 months.
However, efforts are on to cut it down to six months.
He said that under the TB Control Programme best quality medicines are provided to the patients, which are financed by The Global Fund.He stressed for the promotion of the use of officially provided medicines for the disease, which are available in public sector TB centres or officially recognised private doctors and their clinics.
He also stressed for minimising the stigma of the TB patients.
Business Recorder
http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/single/599/172/1143924/
