TB is a major killer disease in Ghana -Doctor

Tuberculosis is claiming more lives in the country than other diseases including AIDS and kills about 20,000 people each year. Dr Mohammed Bin Ibrahim, Western Region Director of Health Services, who said this when launching the regional tuberculosis campaign in Takoradi on Monday, said about 40,000 cases were reported in the year 2000 in the country.

He said out of 1,700 tuberculosis cases in the region in 2000, 545 were recorded at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. He said in that same year, the region recorded 41 deaths of which 27 occurred at the hospital, adding that the dead were from the productive age group of between 20 to 55 years.

Dr Ibrahim said tuberculosis infection is spreading in other parts of the world especially in sub-Sahara Africa where 80 percent of eight point four million cases worldwide were recorded. He said TB is closely related to poverty and understanding this connection is a powerful first step towards breaking the vicious cycle.

''Lack of basic health services, poor nutrition and inadequate living conditions all contribute to the spread of TB.'' Dr Ibrahim said a concerted effort of the health sector and agencies concerned with poverty reduction is needed to eradicate the disease.