Fighting TB

TB is one of the leading causes of death across the world. In Pakistan, annually, around 430,000 people including 15,000 children contract TB. The disease is also the main reason for around 70,000 deaths every year in the country. It is unfortunate that in our country a large number of people infected with TB is not diagnosed earlier because of lack of awareness about the seriousness of the disease. The delay in diagnosis, unsupervised, inappropriate and inadequate drug regimens; poor follow-up and lack of social support programme for high-risk population are some of the reasons that has turned the curable disease into a deadly one.

TB is a treatable disease with six months course of antibiotics. However, prevention is better than cure. TB can be prevented by BCG vaccination. It is the responsibility of the healthcare authorities to conduct awareness programmes to educate the people. If somebody has the symptoms of TB, one should report to the nearest health care centres and get the necessary tests done so that the disease is managed in an even more efficient manner. The TB patients should not be stigmatised and must receive full support from family and the community. To reduce the burden of the disease in Pakistan, there is a dire need to increase awareness among the people through the media.

Kiran Fatima (Islamabad)