World TB Day resolve

It is undoubtedly reassuring that more than 80 percent of the detected cases get fully cured, but the unfortunate fact remains that almost 40 percent of the estimated TB cases go undetected. Unless the detection figure is increased to a much more satisfactory level, all the progress made in terms of treatment facilities will be of little avail. To achieve the target, awareness programme must be broadened to reach out to a wider segment of the population.

Today TB is not considered a fatal disease but a curable one. There is no superstition or fear attached to it any longer. There should be none. People must be made aware of its symptoms, and they must also know about its cure in detail. The less literate among the population should be the prime target of the awareness building campaign. Losing an estimated 70,000 lives in a year to a disease that can be cured if detected is something totally unacceptable. We hope the new drive with an aim to reduce the incidence of Tuberculosis will meet its objective, so that more people can be cured, more lives can be saved.

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