ISLAMABAD, March 23: Pakistan has the highest prevalence of tuberculosis in the World Health Organisation’s Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) with 44 per cent of the region’s TB patients living here.

A spokesman for The Network for Consumer Protection in a statement issued here on Saturday, the World No TB Day, said Pakistan was rated sixth among the 22 developing countries where highest burden of the disease was experienced.

He said TB was the disease of the poor, who on an average lost 20 to 30 per cent of their annual prospective household income. He said the family of TB sufferers had to bear loss of 15 years of income in case of their premature death.

The spokesman stressed that the government should address TB on high priority basis because of its rapid spread in the country.

He said 1.5 million patients of TB in Pakistan waited for proper medical treatment and implementation of Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (Dots).

He said this year’s theme “Stop TB - fight poverty” was selected by the WHO to create awareness among the nations and to focus on the disease on priority basis.

The spokesman expressed grave concern over the rapid increase of Multi-Drug Resistance Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the country.

He said that simple and normal TB case management costed Rs3,600 for nine-month course, while an MRD-TB case would cost Rs250,000 for two years.

He said despite efforts by the National TB Control Programme, the TB still remained the major cause of disease and death in the country. The NTP intends to achieve 100 per cent Dots coverage by 2005.

The network urged the government to increase allocation in budget to combat the disease and arrest its spread.