KARACHI, March 18: Pakistan will be observing World TB Day on March 24 in the backdrop of fact that it has the sixth highest TB burden globally and also accounts 44 per cent of the disease in the Eastern Mediterranean region comprising 23 countries.

The incidence of disease stands at 177/100,000 while current estimation reveals presence of around 1.5 million TB patients in Pakistan, while every year 250,000 new persons develop it.

Ironically, healthcare providers maintain that only one in five new cases of TB is ever detected or treated, and only one physician in seven can prescribe effective treatment for a case of tuberculosis.

TB hence remains a major public health hazard and although it attacks persons from all socio-economic groups, it is widely perceived to be an indicator of poverty. What is more it perpetuates poverty by infecting persons in their most productive years.

Although mass BCG campaigns were launched in 1950s, making TB the first communicable disease control programme in the country. However, the programme never really took off in a sustainable manner and was heavily dependent on the level and continuity of donor support for various international agencies.

It was in 2001 that TB was declared “National Emergency” by the federal ministry of health. Under the recent approach the Direct Observation Therapy Strategy (DOTS) introduced a few years back is attempted to be strengthened through a renewed political commitment.

Efforts at the moment are needed to ensure that the very commitment trickles down to the grass-root level in order to make a meaningful difference.

The federal government and all provincial governments have already launched TB control programmes aimed at ensuring 100 per cent DOTS coverage in the country by the year 2005 in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Total investment being made by the government for the programme is Rs600 million. —APP