70,000 die from TB a year

Bangladesh stands at fifth position among 22 high TB prevalence countries in the world while it ranks fourth among five leading TB-prone countries in South East Asia, according to World Health Organisation.

Against this backdrop, the country yesterday observed the World TB Day.

This year, the theme of the day was 'DOTS for all and all for DOTS'. DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course) is an internationally-recommended TB control strategy.

To mark the day, a leading NGO Brac organised a seminar on 'TB control and social participation' at Mohakhali in the capital.

Dr Sadat Hussain, former cabinet secretary now working as adviser to Brac, presided over the seminar.

Prof Dr M Shahadat Hossain, director general of health directorate attended the seminar as chief guest while Dr Mahbub Kamal Siddiqui, director of National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, as special guest.

Dr Khurshid Alam Hyder, WHO consultant, presented a paper on global and Bangladesh TB situation.

He said one-third of the world population has been infected by TB bacteria. TB infects eight million people every year and claims two million lives yearly throughout the world.

Project Coordinator of Gonoswasthya Kendra Dr Zafrullah Chowdhruy, General Manager of Bangladesh Television Ali Imam and Programme Manager of National Tuberculosis Control Programme Dr Viquarunnesa Begum also spoke.

Afsan Chowdhury, director of advocacy and human rights unit of Brac, delivered the welcome speech.

Dr Motahar Hossain, a village doctor, Farruk Hossain, a volunteer, Ashraf Ali, a retired school teacher, Fatema Begum, a heath worker, M Ziaur Rahman, a trader and Alifa Yasmin, a TB-cured girl, also spoke at the seminar.

The speakers stressed the need for increasing mass awareness programme through media campaign on TB as well as accelerating social participation in controlling TB.

They also stressed the need for disseminating the information that TB is fully curable disease as people are still scared of it.