RAJSHAHI, March 24, 2022 (BSS)- Concerted effort of all the government and non-government organizations concerned can be the best way of building a TB free society through bringing all the undetected tuberculosis patients under proper treatment.

TB is no longer a killer disease as early detection, proper and timely diagnosis and treatment and preventive measures are found effective in fighting the disease.

Health experts came up with the observation while addressing at a post-rally discussion at the conference hall of Divisional Directorate of Health in Rajshahi today.

Offices of Divisional Director of Health and Civil Surgeon, Chest Disease Hospital and Rajshahi City Corporation jointly organised the rally and the meeting to mark the World Tuberculosis Day-2022.

Various other organisations like Damien Foundation, BRAC, FPAB, NATAB and Ashakta Punarbashan Sangstha (APOSH) supported the anti-TB programme.

The meeting was told that 'Invest to End TB. Save Lives.' is the theme of World TB Day 2022 conveying the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB.

This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care.

Deputy Director of Health Dr Anowarul Kobir, Assistant Directors Dr Mostafizur Rahman and Dr Nazma Aktar, Superintendent of Chest Disease Hospital Dr Rajiul Islam and TB Expert of Damien Foundation Dr Saiful Islam and its Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Toslem Uddin addressed the meeting disseminating their expertise on the issue.

Dr Anowarul Kobir said the existing challenges of Multi Drug Resistance (MDR) tuberculosis should be faced collectively as its consequences are very dangerous.

He said there is no alternative to concerted efforts to check the contagious disease as all the MDR TB patients always breed more than other identical categories of patients through quick transmission. TB is an infectious disease that usually spreads out through breathing of the affected patients.

He underscored the need for conducting massive awareness and searching programmes to detect the TB in the slum and char areas of the district without further delay. It is no more a deadly disease and it is fully cured if the affected patients take proper treatment, he said.

Dr Kobir said the government is determined to achieve success in TB control through implementing the Directly Observed Treatment strategy and with enormous efforts of all the stakeholders GO and NGOs, TB diagnostic and treatment services now available throughout the country.

Terming the co-infection of TB and HIV as severe to any human body, he laid stress on a comprehensive human resource along with a capacity development plan to deal with TB-HIV co- infection at different levels, layers and systems.

Marking the day, a rally was brought out and that paraded some of the city streets aiming at creating awareness about the disease and its social and family burden.