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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is the fifth country in the world where the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is highest, and the key to controlling the disease is to raise public awareness of its symptoms, experts said.
On the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, Dr. Aamer Ikram, National Coordinator of the Joint TB Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria Unit, told Dawn that Pakistan is the fourth largest country in terms of TB. number of cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. was the most difficult to treat.
"Multidrug-resistant TB is the one that develops when the patient stops taking medication without having completed treatment. We register patients and try to make sure that each patient completes the course. Unfortunately, as tuberculosis is a stigma in the country, patients try to hide it and seek private treatment. As a result, they often miss drugs, "he said.
"Although the cure rate for tuberculosis exceeds 95%, about 160,000 cases in the country are not reported at all, which means that they are not going to the hospital or are not getting it. treat it privately, "Dr. Ikram added.
"Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have legislated to force private clinics to inform the government of the number of cases," he said.
Dr. Ikram said that the government had merged the TB, AIDS and malaria programs to achieve optimal results.
"Although the government provides funds, the maximum funds come from the Global Fund, which provided $ 205 million for the three-year program to be completed in 2020. In addition, GeneXpert DNA-based machines are provided to the Global Fund. country. We have about 300 functional machines and their number will soon be 400. In addition, nine special X-ray machines have also been provided to the provinces. Approximately 5,000 general practitioners have been sensitized and polio teams, health workers and other officials are being sensitized to determine whether people with the disease have fever, sweating complaints and loss of life. Appetite, and encourages them to get tested for TB, "he said. .
Dr. Waseem Khawaja, media coordinator for the Institute of Medical Sciences of Pakistan (Pims), said it was necessary to ensure that patients follow the entire drug treatment for the prescribed period .
"Anyone with symptoms of the disease should be tested at the hospital. In Pims, we treat an average of more than 4,000 patients every year, "he said.
"Tuberculosis spreads in the air and is contagious. On average, a person with infectious TB infects another 10 to 15 each year, if not treated well. A person taking anti-TB drugs stops infecting others after about two weeks, "he said.
Posted in Dawn, March 24, 2019
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