‘Over half a million people diagnosed with TB in Pakistan last year’

Around 510,000 patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan during 2016, experts said at a session held at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation Pakistan (SIUT) to commemorate World TB Day 2017.

The speakers said that Pakistan was among those 30 countries that shares a high multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB burden as every 276 people out of 100,000 were diagnosed with this disease. 

They urged the need for adopting a comprehensive approach focused on effective management of the disease.

Senior pulmonologist Dr Jawwad said TB was a preventable disease that could be easily cured and widely controlled through medication.

"It is a joint responsibility of the medical community, caretakers of the patients, their family members and, most importantly, the patients themselves to ensure that the course of medicine is strictly followed," he said.

The trend to discontinue medication once the patients register improvement should be curtailed, he said.

He also discussed the risks associated with patients abruptly stopping their medication and resuming it on their own. 

Dr Asma Nasim, an infectious diseases specialist, said TB was an airborne disease that could be contracted through infected atmosphere.

Symptoms of the disease include persistent cough, fatigue, coughing up blood, chest pain, sweating at night, fever, loss of appetite, and weight loss, she said.

Dr Sohail Dodani, an expert with vast experience to treat infectious diseases, said TB could affect any organ of the body.

He said TB was among the 10 most common causes of death worldwide and it was one of the major health problems of the developing countries. “TB is an infectious and debilitating disease carrying a high incidence of morbidity and mortality,” he said.

The estimated number of new cases reported annually worldwide is 10.4 million, with a mortality rate of around 1.4 million patients.

On the occasion, the doctors appreciated the SIUT for organising the public awareness session aimed at creating awareness and educating people regarding this disease.

Officials of the SIUT Infectious Diseases Department also provided free medical checkups and consultations coupled with dietary and nutritional advices to the people attending the programme.

Educational videos about TB and other infectious diseases were also screened, while educational literature on TB was distributed among the visitors and patients.

An interactive workshop about diagnosis, treatment and management of TB was also organised in collaboration with the College of Family Physicians, Karachi.