KARACHI, Nov 16: Pakistan presently sharing the sixth highest burden of TB around the world and 44 per cent of the burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is registered to have 1.5 million patients of the disease, with another 250,000 developing the ailment each year.

Dr. G. N. Kazi, WHO Coordinator, T.B. Control Programme, said on Friday said that while the incidence rate of the disease in Pakistan is 177/100,000 population, in Sindh alone, an estimated 80,000 are inflicted with the disease annually.

This, he said, includes 44,000 smear positive patients, he mentioned.

According to him, prevalence of the ailment is six times high in Pakistan.

“The situation is, quite alarming as every infected person can potentially infect 10 to 15 other persons in a year’s time and vaccination is of no proven utility in adults”, Dr. Kazi said.

According to him, an efficient strategy regarding T.B Control had been initiated in the country only last year, which with particular reference to Sindh, had emerged to be quite effective.

Giving details of the objectives envisaged under the programme launched in the province in collaboration with the WHO, Dr. Kazi said it is initially aimed to attain a universal DOTS coverage by 2003.

Under the very programme, it is also expected that 70 per cent of all T.B cases in Sindh would be detected, while 85 per cent of them are expected to be successfully treated by 2005 ultimately helping to reduce the prevalence and mortality due to disease by 50 per cent by the year 2010.

Mentioning that case detection and treatment started according to proper DOTS methodology was first launched (under the very T.B. Control Programme) at Tharparkar and Umerkot in August 2000 and February 2001 respectively followed by Dadu, Hyderabad and Sukkur during the months of May and June, the WHO coordinator said, seeking a maximum involvement of the community.

Close and a cordial working relationship between concerned health-care staff and communities has helped ease the process of recording and the reporting of cases.

“All trainings have been completed and the initial sputum conversion results for first four quarters from Tharparkar and the first two quarters from Umerkot have been registered to be in the range of 80 per cent,” Dr. G.N.Kazi said.

He further mentioned that the Sindh Government plans to take -up Karachi and the districts of Larkana, Shikarpur and Jacobabad during the current fiscal year 2001-2002, while the remaining seven districts — parts of Mirpurkhas, Badin, Naushehro Feroze, Thatta, Nawabshah, Sanghar and Ghotki — would be taken up in the third year 2002-2003.

Apart from consolidating the position in the existing five districts, steps are being taken under the programme to train healthcare providers in the new districts.

Giving further details of the future strategies, he said main project components include case detection through sputum testing and treatment using DOTS, training, supervision, monitoring, establishment of a provincial referral laboratory and printing of recording and reporting material.—APP