Combatting TB in Bangladesh
It is unfortunate that even after decades of efforts from the government and non-government organisations to combat tuberculosis (TB) in Bangladesh, a large number of TB patients still remain undiagnosed, mostly due to a lack of awareness among the patients as well as people in general. Although Bangladesh has made some significant progress in controlling the disease, the drug-resistant TB continues to be a public health crisis for us. Sadly, the modern screening facilities for TB are still not available at the upazila level. According to a report by The Daily Star in 2019, while 492 upazilas have government health complexes, only around 209 Gene Xpert machines—necessary for detecting TB on a molecular level and its drug resistance—have so far been set up at different medical facilities across the country.
Till today, TB remains the world's deadliest infectious killer. Each day, nearly 4,500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this disease worldwide.
Since prevention is a major part of TB control, if the patients cannot be made aware of the disease and diagnosed early, containing the spread of the disease would not be possible. People should go for check-ups immediately when they notice the symptoms: long-term cough, chest pain and fever. Otherwise, the disease will get worse and spread among the people who are in close contact with the patients. Also, people's misconception about TB—that it is a respiratory disease—must be removed. All these need combined efforts from the government and the private organsiations working in this area. Besides raising awareness about the disease, the government should also make the screening facilities and necessary medicines available at the upazila level.
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