NATIONAL TB DAY LAUNCHED AT BOLGATANGA (D/G, Thursday, March 26, 2009 PAGE 21)

GHANA records about 14,000 new cases of Tuberculosis (TB) every year, as against an average of 5,000 cases recorded in the 1980’s, the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, has revealed.
Speaking at the national launch of the World TB Day at Bolgatanga on Tuesday, Dr Yankey said the increase in reported cases could be the direct result of the increasing HIV sero-prevalence rate and other social factors such as poverty and poor accommodation.
TB is a lung infection that is both preventable and curable. If left untreated however, it may slowly lead to permanent disability and death. About 1.5 million people die each year from TB around the world. Africa is particularly affected by the disease, since three out of every 10 cases of TB in the world occurs in Africa.
TB poses two special challenges. The first is that persons with HIV and AIDS are particularly susceptible to TB while the second is that some strains of TB are now resistant to the drugs commonly used to treat them.
The theme for this year’s event is: “I am stopping TB” and it involves a two-year campaign which would offer everyone the opportunity to showcase to the general public his or her achievement and successes at TB Control.
Dr Yankey said the fact that TB and HIV were related could not be overlooked, adding that tests conducted in a number of countries had shown that up to 70 per cent of TB patients were infected with HIV.
He expressed regret that in spite of the scientific advances in the control of the disease, it still posed as a health challenge, and that in addition to poverty, local beliefs had also contributed to the slow progress of bringing the disease under control.
Dr Yankey said despite these challenges, TB could be stopped if TB patients became active participants in their diagnosis and took all their anti TB drugs as directed.
He also charged health workers to be alert to the symptoms of the disease and provide prompt diagnosis and treatment, and called on scientists to contribute to the fight to stop TB by engaging in research to develop new diagnostics, new drugs and new vaccines.
“Curing one TB patient will prevent 10 to 15 others from contracting the disease in one year,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Health through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had established 1,018 TB treatment centres country-wide to take care of patients, while there were 219 diagnostic centres with quality equipment to diagnose the disease throughout the country.
He said the ministry had also engaged the private sector to implement what was known as the Public Private Mix Directly Observed Treatment Short-Courses (DOTS), to diagnose and treat TB, adding that the number of regions implementing the programme had been increased from two to six in the country.
He said TB medication was free with poor patients being supported with financial and other supports in the treatment of the disease.
While commending donor partners for their contributions to TB control in Ghana, Dr Yankey called for support from chiefs and traditional rulers, who are custodians of the nation’s culture, to help demystify TB disease.
Dr Frank Adae Bonsu, Programme Manager of the National TB Control Programme, announced that six out of the 10 regions, namely Greater Accra, Ashanti, Volta, Eastern, Central and Western had already attained the global target for TB treatment and the challenge was to maintain it until 2015 and beyond.
He, however, said the remaining four regions, which were presently below the global treatment target, were working assidiously to ensure that they attained the global target.
Currently, Northern Region is two per cent points below the target, Upper East (seven per cent) Brong Ahafo (eight per cent) and Upper West (14 per cent).
While commending the hard work and dedication of the Regional Health Directorate, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, stressed the need to expand laboratory services, increase coverage of community-based TB care and step up TB care in the Navrongo and Bawku prisons and other high risk groups.
Dr Daniel Kertesz, WHO Representative in Ghana, said his outfit would continue to provide support to the TB strategic plan developed by the Ministry of Health to enhance the management of TB in Ghana.