KARACHI, March 26: Having constant population influx and the highest number of slums, Karachi needs to have an efficient programme to combat tuberculosis, prevalent in all age groups, particularly those with weak immunity and poor nutritional status. City District Government of Karachi while acknowledging the very fact organized ?TB Walk? on Saturday in collaboration with National TB Control Programme aimed at spreading awareness and muster social mobilization to prevent and control the ailment, which has considerably high toll on public health. The walk was a joint show of the government and non-government organizations including WHO, Aga Khan Health Services, Marie Adelaide Leprosy and TB Control Centre, Al Mustafa Trust besides Sindh School Health Programme, Sindh Social Welfare Department, Community and Health Departments of City Government.

Attended by people from all walks of life, the walk started from National Stadium and culminated at Civic Centre. A continued commentary regarding existing status of the disease and significance of DOTS Programme to eliminate the disease was the main feature of the walk.

Officials from the departments concerned while addressing the participants said that no less than 7,748 confirmed cases of TB had been registered in Karachi only including 3,449 smear positive. This was against 30,325 confirmed TB patients in other parts of Sindh including 11,980 smear positive.

One of the experts mentioned that overall case detection rate in Sindh was 49 per cent and that of smear positive 43 per cent against the set target of 75 per cent.

EDO Health Dr Khalid Sheikh assured to take all required measures for TB prevention and control. He reiterated that people have to be sensitized not to overlook the symptoms as the disease was preventable and controllable. ?APP