ISLAMABAD, March 18: The high prevalence of tuberculosis in Pakistan has led to increase in poverty, destruction of social fabric, marginalization of workforce and retarding of overall economic progress.

This was stated by health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan at a seminar held on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day 2004, at a local hotel on Thursday. He said the disease was widely prevalent in the country with 250,000 new cases reported every year.

Prior to the seminar, a walk was organized by the TB Control Programme. The walk, led by the health minister, started from the Federal Government Services Hospital and culminated at the Argentina Park.

The participants included doctors, managers of different health programmes, prominent citizens, philanthropists and friends and partners of national TB control programme. The event was organized to sensitize the public about TB and consequences of the disease for social lives and national economy.

The world TB day is observed globally on March 24 to commemorate the efforts of Sir Robert Koch, who discovered the micro-organism of TB. "Every Breath Counts.

Stop TB Now," is the theme selected this year to emphasize the sense of urgency in making the world free of the disease and thereby promoting economic development and reducing poverty.

It is quite sad to note that Pakistan has 6th highest TB prevalence rate in the world, mainly due to apathy of people and the international community, the health minister said.

A number of measures have been taken by the government over the last few years to control this deadly disease that traps people most often in their prime age, when they are usually the sole earners for the entire household, he said.

The minister also launched a website www.ntp.gov.pk. He emphasized that TB could not be controlled without integrated efforts of all the stakeholders. "Such partnerships can be most productive by mobilizing people for a common goal and pooling in all the resources, expertize, planning and, most importantly, access to the communities," he said.

"We are determined to bring preventive education, diagnosis and DOTS (directly observed treatment strategy) to every needy individual in the community by building effective partnerships at all levels and avoiding duplication and wastage of resources.

"We need to move at a steady pace to efficiently tackle the problem with the support of provincial, regional and district governments," the minister said. He was also happy to note that Pakistan had been re-elected to the chairman slot of Saarc TB governing body.

This development is a great honour for the country and gives ample reason to the ministry of health to feel proud about the progress of national TB control programme.

A message of Regional Director of WHO for the Eastern Mediterranean Region Dr Hussain A. Gezairy was also read out. TB is estimated to take an annual economic toll equivalent to $12 billion from the income of poor communities.

Studies suggest that on an average, a TB patient losses three to four months of working time. This means that the patient and his/her family may lose 20 to 30 per cent of their annual household income. And, if the patient dies, there will be a further loss of about 15 years of income.