ISLAMABAD: Over 500,000 new cases of tuberculosis are reported in Pakistan of which 160,000 do not get treated.

“International health institutions have become very serious about TB and have been pushing the world community to eradicate the disease. We want to reduce the number of cases in Pakistan by 90pc by 2025,” said head of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Brig Dr Aamer Ikram.

Talking to Dawn on Thursday, ahead of World TB Day on March 24, Dr Ikram said Pakistan has the fifth largest number of reported TB cases in a year.

“That is why I have been nominated the national coordinator of the Aids, TB and Malaria Common Unit so that these diseases are focused on. The world has almost eradicated polio and now, the next goal is to eradicate TB. Pakistan will do its best to eradicate the disease,” he said.

“We have procured 450 advanced machines for diagnosing the TB virus from DNA, of which 150 have been installed and the remaining will be installed soon. Staff is also being trained and over 1,700 units have been established across the country to provide treatment to patients,” he added.

Dr Ikram said TB can be completely cured in six months but most patients stop taking medicines after just a few months.

“The virus reactivates and the patient becomes multiple drug resistant (MDR). We have been trying our best and involved the private sector to treat patients. We have a success rate of 93pc for a common TB patient and 60pc for MDR patients,” he said.

MDR TB patients cannot be treated with the routine medicine because the virus becomes immune and remains immune if it transfers to another person. So, not only the cost of treatment is increased but the treatment period is also increased to two years.

Meanwhile, a TB awareness walk was held outside the National Institute of Health in which a large number of government officials, health officials and representatives of voluntary organisations took part.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ikram said World TB Day is observed each year to raise public awareness about TB and increase efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

A World Health Organisation representative said TB is a major public health threat and that the majority of reported cases are in the age groups of between 15 and 45 years and 12pc of the cases reported are children.

TB is an air-borne infection and the most common symptoms are cough for more than two weeks, low grade fever, loss of appetite or weight loss. These non-specific symptoms can lead to delays in seeking care and the transmission of the bacteria in the community.

People with active TB can infect 10–15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. Once infected, the risk of developing the disease is high in children, the elderly, malnourished, immune-compromised, people with HIV, diabetes and renal failure, and also in smokers.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2018