Stop the discrimination against TB patients – Dr Enimil

Dr. Anthony Enimil, a Paediatric Tuberculosis (TB) Specialist, has cautioned the public to desist from discriminating against patients suffering from Tuberculosis (TB).

Subjecting them to such treatment, he said, was unhelpful to the fight to bring down the infection.

Dr. Enimil was speaking at a press briefing in Kumasi to herald this year’s World TB Day celebration, which falls on Friday March 22.

The theme for the event is “A call for a world free of TB”.

Available statistics show that Ghana, last year, recorded a total of 15,198 cases of the disease and out of the figure, 856 were children.

Dr. Enimil put the treatment success rate at 85.5 per cent with the death rate standing at 10.7 per cent.

He gave symptoms of the disease as loss of appetite, low grade fever, weight loss, drenching night sweats, swelling of lymph nodes and long standing cough with or without blood.

Dr. Enimil advised those showing any of these symptoms to seek early clinical treatment.

They should neither resort to traditional medicine nor prayer camps.

He said this year’s celebration would be used to educate the public on the disease to reduce its prevalence rate.