World TB Day 2002 - In the News

The Pakistan Newswire
Headline: One Third Of World's Population Newly Infected With TB
Date: March 23, 2002 Saturday

Tuberculosis is a global threat, some one in the world is newly infected every second, nearly one percent of world's population is newly infected with T.B. each year as this scenario in the developing countries is worse. These dangerous facts were revealed during a press conference here on Saturday by Dr. Saeed ul Majeed, general secretary, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Tuberculosis Association Peshawar in connection with the world TB day every year celebrated worldwide on March 24. The day is celebrated every year to promote awareness, knowledge and motivation for action against TB as according to experts improvement of health is a concrete measurable way of reducing poverty,

" Stop TB- Fight poverty" is the theme of this year. Talking about the killer disease, Dr. Saeed ul Majeed accompanied by Dr. Ghafoor, Provincial TB program Manager said that WHO has attributed 26 % of deaths in Pakistan to TB as 150,000 lives claimed by TB every year and 250,000 new cases per annum. He said that TB scenario in the developing countries is worse about 95 % new TB cases and 98 % of deaths caused by TB occur in these countries as such TB kills 2 million

people each year in this region. Pakistan ranks 5th amongst group of countries with high prevalence of TB as 4 out of 5 patients in Pakistan still remain undetected or untreated of TB, he added. Talking about the TB control program of Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) he said that this treatment is critical in achieving global TB targets of 2005, at present overall DOTS coverage at the national level has risen from 8 to 25 %. Dr. Ghafoor on this occasion said that beside global facts and figures in this regard, the increase of this menace in the area has become worse and 35000 new people used to infect from year every year. Both the doctors expressed their concern over the government action in which they used to charge X-ray and sputum tests which they considered as against the WHO's instruction and said that this should be made free.

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