Public health: World Tuberculosis Day marked in Lahore

World Tuberculosis Day marked across the province

LAHORE:

World Tuberculosis Day was marked Lahore on Thursday with dozens of events organised to raise awareness about the disease.

The provincial TB Control Programme organised a street theatre show attended by scores of schoolchildren.

The organisers had also set up a camp for free chest examinations for visitors.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Azam Malik, in charge of the medical camp said that the disease could be cured. He said mostly people from unprivileged backgrounds and residents of congested areas were affected by the disease. He said it was a communicable disease.  “People who smoke are also likely to be affected. They are vulnerable to many others diseases,” he said. He said those building houses should ensure adequate ventilation.

He said TB patients must register with the TB Control Programme to benefit from treatment facilities provided by the government.

TB control programme head Dr Abdul Majeed Akhtar said a comprehensive strategy had been chalked out by the government to curb the disease. “The mortality ratio in the Punjab is only one percent,” he said. “Those who do not take medicines regularly and leave treatment incomplete risk fatal complications,” he informed.

He said that in order to discourage this attitude, the Punjab government had designed a communication strategy to raise awareness among the general public TB diagnosis, care and treatment.

“Multiple interventions have been planned using the media and personal communication with the target population” he said. He said the TB Control Programme had also arranged a seminar to sensitise the population and several road shows were being planned all over Punjab.

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique and senior officers of the Health Department and international development partners including the World Health Organisation attended the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th,  2016.