TB not caused by curse - Disease Control Officer

Saltpond Oct.12, GNA - The Mfantseman District Health Directorate recorded 109 Tuberculosis (TB) cases from health facilities from January to September 2007 as against 115 recorded in 2006.

Miss Helena Tibiri, District Disease Control Officer, who announced this cautioned people to stop regarding the disease as a curse or something brought about by evil spirits.

She was addressing a durbar organised by the Oyeman Foundation an Accra-based non-governmental organisation to sensitise people on the disease at Saltpond on the theme, "TB Elimination now is the time" funded by the Global Foundation National Tuberculosis Control Programme. Miss Tibiri said the disease was airborne and was curable provided the patient would seek early treatment and observed the treatment regime.

The Disease Control Officer advised people who coughed for more than two weeks to report at a health facility for diagnosis. She advised mothers to present their babies for BCG vaccination against the disease at health facilities.

Mrs Ekua Myles-Koufie, Executive Director of the NGO, which operated in Greater Accra, Central and the Upper East Regions on Women Empowerment, Health and Human Rights issues, called on Ghanaians to remove the stigma attached to TB since the disease was no longer as frightening as it used to be.

This would encourage patients to go for treatment, she said. Mrs Myles-Koufie urged them to observe good personal and environmental hygiene by not spitting about, covering the moth when coughing or yawning, staying away from filth and by living in well ventilated rooms.