Tuberculosis no more a deadly disease: Experts

Our Correspondent HABIGANJ, Dec 27: About 30 thousand and 32 tuberculosis patients have been given treatment since 1995 in Habiganj district, National Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh (NATAB) Habiganj district unit informed the journalists at a views exchange meeting Monday. Sources said, 1,553 persons are under the treatment in district and 16 patients had died in the district this year due to TB related complicacy. NATAB Habiganj district unit organized a views exchange meeting with the journalists at sadar hospital conference room Monday. Civil surgeon Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was present as chief guest in the programme while NATAB`s vice president Advocate Monsur Uddin Iqbal was in the chair. General Secretary Advocate Ruhul Hasan Sharif conducted the programme. Among others Dr. Jamir Ali, Head District Officer Najrul Islam also spoke on the occasion. BSS reports from Gaibandha: Health experts here on Monday said the TB is no more a deadly disease now and it is fully cured at present if the affected patients take medicines for six months properly at a stretch as per suggestions of the physicians. "The TB is an infectious disease that usually spreads out through breathing of the affected patients. Long term especially for the three weeks cough with pain in the chest and fever is the symptom of the disease. In that case, the cough of the affected persons needs to be diagnosed immediately", they said. They made the observations while addressing a round table meeting on TB control programme: progress and our duties jointly organized by Directorate General of Health Services and brac at the auditorium of Public Library and Club of the town here at noon with civil surgeon (CS) Dr Shahidul Haque in the chair. Superintendent of police Bashudev Banik addressed the meeting as the chief guest and Gaibandha Poura mayor M Shamsul Alam, president of Bangladesh Medical Association, district unit, Dr Shahiduzzaman Harun and resident medical officer of Gaibandha Sadar Hospital Dr ABM Abu Hanif were present as the special guests. The key note paper on the subject was presented by consultant of chest diseases clinic Dr SMA Jalil through multimedia projector and said a total of 1239 patients are under medical treatment in the district and the recovery rate of the disease is about 90 percent. The function was also addressed, among others, by Press club president Gobinda Lal Das, assistant director Directorate of Youth Development Abdul Razzak and regional manager of brac Bilkis Ara Khanam, assistant project manager of Friendship Rabeya Sultana Setu and journalists KM Rezaul Haque and Sircar M Shahiduzzaman.