Rawalpindi:Pakistan has a huge burden of Tuberculosis, which is 100 percent treatable and curable yet the disease is still claiming thousands of lives in the country only because a significant proportion of TB patients are not detected, nor given any treatment.
Studies reveal a positive case of the disease, if not detected and treated, may die within two years of time while spreading the disease to around 10 persons. Once a patient starts taking regular medicines, he or she may become non-infectious in two months or so and can achieve complete cure after six to nine months course. The management and diagnostics are free everywhere in Pakistan.
The disease has a horrible aspect that is its resistance is now becoming common as Multi Drug Resistant TB is on the rise in Pakistan and around the globe. Alarming is the fact that a Resistant TB case may spread the Resistant TB to his or her contacts.
World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis, and to step up efforts to end the global tuberculosis epidemic but in Pakistan, one can find very little work done on TB awareness among masses particularly about the disease being curable, its routes of transmission, type of tests required, bio-safety measures and infection control.
The theme of World TB Day 2026 is ‘Yes! We Can End TB. Led by countries. Powered by people.’ The theme emphasizes the need for political commitment, country-level leadership, increased funding and community engagement to end TB.
Health experts believe that the most important step needed to eliminate TB from the country is to create awareness among masses about various aspects of the disease for early diagnosis. Active TB symptoms often include persistent cough for over three weeks, coughing up blood or sputum, chest pain, fever, fatigue, night sweats, unexplained weight loss and a loss of appetite.
Experts say that one of the greatest challenges to control spread of the disease is to put extensive efforts to discover the disease among contacts around each positive case. A good hospital linkages and surveillance among various units/wards of the tertiary care hospitals are needed so that each unit including Medicine, Surgery, Gynae, Neurology, ENT, Skin or Orthopaedic must suspect TB among their patients presenting with various symptoms.
Doctors should suspect the root cause of visceral, spinal or bone tuberculosis among the patients reaching hospitals with undiagnosed, extra pulmonary TB so that a patient can be diagnosed early for the disease and can be managed in time. A lot of work and efforts are needed for case detection in Childhood TB.
Experts say that TB can be considered as the most neglected disease that is a life-threatening disease, affecting millions of people each year. Various social and political circles along with the media should play an active role in creating awareness among masses about TB to minimise the losses.
