RAJSHAHI, March 25, 2021 (BSS)- Health experts at a street-corner
meeting unequivocally called for a concerted effort to bring all the
undetected tuberculosis patients under proper treatment for building a TB
free society.
They said TB is no more a killer disease as early detection, proper and
timely diagnosis and treatment and preventive measures are found effective in
fighting the disease.
Offices of Divisional Director of Health and Civil Surgeon, Chest
Disease Hospital and Rajshahi City Corporation jointly organised the meeting
held at Bilsimla crossing in Rajshahi city to mark the World Tuberculosis
Day-2021 yesterday.
Different organisations like Damien Foundation, ICDDR’B, Tilottoma,
BRAC, NATAB, Light House and Ashakta Punarbashan Sangstha (APOSH) joined the
anti-TB programme displaying banners, festoons and placards.
Divisional Director of Health Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder, Civil Surgeon
Dr Quiume Talukder, Junior Consultant of Chest Disease Clinic Dr Chandan
Kumar Pramanik, Project Director of Damien Foundation Arif Iftikhar Mannan
and Divisional TB Expert Dr Saiful Islam spoke on the occasion.
In his remarks, Dr Habibul Talukder said the existing challenges of
Multi Drug Resistance (MDR) tuberculosis should be faced collectively as its
consequences are very dangerous.
He urged all the government and non-government organizations concerned
to help doctors and health workers in identifying TB patients and bring them
to treatment.
“TB is no more a deadly disease now and it could be fully cured if the
affected patients take medicines properly for six to eight months at a
stretch as per the suggestions of the physicians”, he added.
TB is an infectious disease that usually spreads through breathing of
the affected patients. Cough with pain in the chest for more than three weeks
is the symptom of the disease.
In the event of contacting the disease, the infected persons are
required to be diagnosed immediately.
Dr Quiume Talukder told the meeting that free treatment facilities are
available at all the upazila health complexes, district hospitals, public and
private medical colleges and other health centres in the country.
Around thirty percent of old patients turned into MDR-TB patients in
Bangladesh. The scope of treatment for MDR-TB patients is limited compared to
its number in the country.
Healthcare providers can help prevent MDR TB by quickly diagnosing
cases, following recommended treatment guidelines, monitoring patients’
response to treatment, and making sure therapy is completed.
Another way to prevent getting MDR TB is to avoid exposure to known MDR
TB patients in closed or crowded places such as hospitals, prisons, or
homeless shelters, he added.