KOHAT, May 29: Speakers at a seminar on control of tuberculosis have said that the disease was spreading at an alarming rate in the country due to lack of awareness about its treatment among the people.

The seminar was organised by the district health department in collaboration with the provincial TB control programme and support of GTZ.

The speakers stressed joint efforts by the government, NGOs and social welfare organizations to completely eradicate the disease.

The experts said that door to door awareness campaign about the disease was necessary because a TB patient can transfer the disease to others if proper precautions were not taken by the community.

They appealed to people to register TB cases with the health department and bring the patients to the diagnostic centres established throughout the district where tests facility and eight-month treatment was provided to such patients free of cost.

They said that diagnosis and treatment facilities had been provided in far-flung areas through mobile teams under the Direct Observed Treatment Short Course programme in 56 health centres, 11 special diagnostic outlets with the help of 39 trained doctors.

They called upon union council nazims and councillors to come forward and help the government in combating the disease by registering TB cases in the health centres of their constituencies.

District Health Officer Dr Umer Khan said that there were 360 TB cases registered in 2004 and the number had now increased to 625 in 2005 in Kohat and adjoining areas.