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Poverty - Leading
Cause of TB Epidemic
"Poverty is one
of the leading factors that cause tuberculosis (TB). Thousands of
people in Pakistan die of TB every year simply because they are
unable to bear the cost of its treatment." This was stated by Dr.
Javaid A. Khan, Consultant Chest Physician at Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH). Dr. Khan was addressing the World TB Day symposium
titled 'Stop TB, Fight Poverty', held at Aga Khan University
on March 22, 2002.
"The situation
in Pakistan is in contrast to the one in Bangladesh where 90% of
TB patients are provided free anti-TB drugs under the directly observed
treatment, short course strategy (DOTS)," added Dr. Khan. It is
the duty of the government to provide free anti-TB treatment to
each and every TB patient in Pakistan. NGOs and the private sector
could join hands with the government in its efforts to curb the
TB epidemic in Pakistan, he suggested.
Dr. Majeed Memon,
Consultant Pulmonologist at AKUH, said the stigma attached with TB
in the society must be removed. He said TB is a curable disease
provided appropriate anti-TB treatment is given for a period of
six to eight months. "Doctors must educate the patients about the
disease . it is ironic that many women in Pakistan are divorced
when their husbands and in-laws come to know they are suffering
from TB," he said.
Dr. Fayyaz Hussain,
Head of Pulmonary Section at AKUH, highlighted the deficiency of
TB study in the existing curriculum at the medical colleges in the
country. Quoting research conducted by Pakistan Chest Society and
AKU on the knowledge of TB amongst medical graduates, he said that
only 5% of doctors could write the correct anti-TB drug prescription
in Pakistan. He added that although there was no shortage of labs
in the major cities of Pakistan, there was no mechanism in place
to ensure quality control. "There are several tests that are being
marketed in Pakistan; these are expensive and have unproven value
. Sputum microscopy remains the best test to diagnose lung TB," he concluded.
Dr.
Raana Haqqee, Consultant Chest Physician at AKUH, described Multi-Drug
Resistance TB (MDR- TB) as a real threat to the entire population
of the country. "This type of
TB does not respond to the usual anti-TB drugs. MDR usually occurs
in patients
who
had been treated in the past for TB, and when either the doctor's
prescription is inadequate or the patient fails to take treatment
as prescribed," she explained. MDR is a rapidly growing menace and
all medical, paramedical and public representatives need to help
combat this disease. Failure to control this resistant infection
is associated with high mortality and ominous implications for public
health, she warned.
Dr. Tanveer-ul-Haque,
Consultant Radiologist, gave a lecture on the X-ray findings on
TB, stressing that it is difficult to judge whether the disease
is active or eliminated by X-ray
alone.
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