Islamabad, March 26 (IANS) More than 669,000 people are affected by Tuberculosis in Pakistan which causes 51,000 deaths in a year, local media in the country reported citing the latest stats revealed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on World Tuberculosis Day. Pakistan holds a 73 per cent share of the TB burden within the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and is the fifth most affected in the world. Each day, more than 1,800 new cases are reported in Pakistan and 140 people die from tuberculosis, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported.

The report mentions that Pakistan government and WHO have urged all partners to invest in ending TB. Pakistan’s Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal expressed government’s commitment to end TB through coordinated multisectoral actions, sustainable domestic financing and a patient-centred approach with participation of the communities and all stakeholders.

“In Pakistan, every 10 minutes, one person dies from tuberculosis. These deaths are preventable because tuberculosis is curable. Ending tuberculosis is not just aspirational; it is achievable. WHO will stand with Pakistan and its partners to continue to intensify early detection and treatment for all, no matter where they live or who they are,” said Luo Dapeng, the WHO representative in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has voiced grave concern over the worsening state of TB control in the country. It claimed that despite the global theme ‘Yes! We Can End TB’, the reality on the ground in Pakistan reveals systemic neglect, severe underfunding and a shortage of life-saving medicines.

“Pakistan continues to hold the unenviable position of being the fifth highest TB-burden country globally, with nearly 686,000 new cases and 49,000 deaths recorded annually. Yet, the government’s commitment to the health sector remains disappointingly low on the list of national priorities,” Dawn quoted PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro as saying.

He said, “It is a mockery of our healthcare system that while we talk of ‘ending the epidemic,’ standard TB medicines are frequently unavailable for adults, and the shortage of pediatric formulations is even more acute. We are failing our children. You cannot fight a bacterial war without ammunition.”

TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often impacts the lungs. TB is spread through the air when a person with lung TB cough, sneezes or spits, according to WHO. An individual needs to inhale only a few germs to become infected.

–IANS

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