Staff Reporter :
Today (Tuesday) is World Tuberculosis Day. On this occasion, discussion, parades and special talk show on BTV will be arranged.
A press conference was held yesterday (Monday) in the National Press Club. The National TB Control Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and non-government organization BRAC jointly arranged the press conference.
It was informed there that in 2014, one lakh nine thousand and 155 patients have been diagnosed with tuberculosis under the National TB Control Programme in the country.
In 2013, the success rate of TB treatment was 94 per cent in Bangladesh. Yet treatment of MDR-TB still remains a major challenge. There are 224 estimated TB patients in per one lakh population. Combining the new and old patients, the number stands at 402 per lakh in the country. The death rate is 51. To reduce the number of TB patients, 43 NGOs are working here.
Dr Mojibur Rahman, National Programme Consultant and National TB Control Programme, was the main speaker of the conference. Dr Md Ahmed Hussain Khan, Director, MBDC answered the journalists’ queries. Dr Quazi Al Mamun Siddiqui, Senior Sector Specialist, TB Control Programme, BRAC was also present.
The press conference was also attended, among others, by Dr Vikarun Nesa Begum, National Professional Officer, WHO, Dr Abdul Hamid Salim, Adviser to NTP Bangladesh on Global Fund and MDR-TB, Dr M Lutfor Rahman, Programme Consultant, UPHCSDP, Dr K Zaman, Principal Investigator, ICDDR,B, and Dr Shayla Islam, Programme Manager, TB BRAC.
The experts present at the conference further said that 6318 under-15 children were detected with TB infection and 3699 MDR-TB patients were treated. A major challenge for treating MDR-TB patients is the lack of sufficient GeneXpert machines in the country. Moreover, as the MDR-TB medicines are costly. Patients, who go to private doctors for treatment, drop the medications for want of money.
Today (Tuesday) is World Tuberculosis Day. On this occasion, discussion, parades and special talk show on BTV will be arranged.
A press conference was held yesterday (Monday) in the National Press Club. The National TB Control Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and non-government organization BRAC jointly arranged the press conference.
It was informed there that in 2014, one lakh nine thousand and 155 patients have been diagnosed with tuberculosis under the National TB Control Programme in the country.
In 2013, the success rate of TB treatment was 94 per cent in Bangladesh. Yet treatment of MDR-TB still remains a major challenge. There are 224 estimated TB patients in per one lakh population. Combining the new and old patients, the number stands at 402 per lakh in the country. The death rate is 51. To reduce the number of TB patients, 43 NGOs are working here.
Dr Mojibur Rahman, National Programme Consultant and National TB Control Programme, was the main speaker of the conference. Dr Md Ahmed Hussain Khan, Director, MBDC answered the journalists’ queries. Dr Quazi Al Mamun Siddiqui, Senior Sector Specialist, TB Control Programme, BRAC was also present.
The press conference was also attended, among others, by Dr Vikarun Nesa Begum, National Professional Officer, WHO, Dr Abdul Hamid Salim, Adviser to NTP Bangladesh on Global Fund and MDR-TB, Dr M Lutfor Rahman, Programme Consultant, UPHCSDP, Dr K Zaman, Principal Investigator, ICDDR,B, and Dr Shayla Islam, Programme Manager, TB BRAC.
The experts present at the conference further said that 6318 under-15 children were detected with TB infection and 3699 MDR-TB patients were treated. A major challenge for treating MDR-TB patients is the lack of sufficient GeneXpert machines in the country. Moreover, as the MDR-TB medicines are costly. Patients, who go to private doctors for treatment, drop the medications for want of money.
