Mr. Joseph Newton, Western Regional Director of the National Tuberculosis Control programme has said that Tuberculosis cannot be cured by local concoctions and herbal preparations.

He said the disease is a micro-bacterial infection and so cannot be cured with herbs and debunked the idea that TB was a spiritual disease.

He entreated individuals suspected of having the disease and community members not to rely on faith-based organizations and herbal drug peddlers, who pretend to have a cure for the disease.

Mr. Newton said this at a media briefing to discuss the state of the disease in the Region.

He said TB treatment was still free and that community health workers and volunteers were readily available to assist patients to undergo the treatment.

He said globally, TB placed second to HIV/AIDs and the greatest killer worldwide, accounting for about 95 per cent of death cases in developing countries, even though it is curable.

He said tobacco use greatly increases the risk of acquiring the disease, adding that, more than 20 per cent of TB cases worldwide are attributed to smoking.

Dilating on the Regional Figures, Mr. Newton said 2013 recorded 1742 cases as against 1067 cases in 2012 and lauded “TB Reach” an NGO for working to create awareness in deprived areas of the region.

The Regional TB Coordinator added that people with the TB disease must report early to health facilities and co-operate, in order to reduce transmission of infection, reduce mortality and morbidity and prevent the development of drug resistance.

Mr. Newton said the stakeholders must be involved in prevention and management of the disease to improve TB cure rate and reduce multi-drug resistance, due to non-compliance, treatment failure and relapse.