Medical Breakthrough in TB & HIV (Mirror, Page 3)

By Lucy Adoma Yeboah (April 5, 2008)
THE medical assertion that tuberculosis (TB) in HIV could be cured has been confirmed by the cure of 74 HIV (58 per cent) infected persons out of a total of 126 who tested positive for both diseases in 2007.
This new development has necessitated the screening of HIV patients for TB to ensure early detection and treatment.
Speaking in Accra as part of the World TB Day celebration, the Programme Manager of the National TB Control Programme (NTCP), Dr Frank Bonsu, said “TB in HIV patients is curable”.
TB is considered the leading cause of death in HIV infected persons. The disease causes severe illness and increases progression to AIDS and, therefore, is seen as the number one killer of HIV patients.
This year's World TB Day, which had the theme “I am Stopping TB”, aims at celebrating the lives and stories of people affected by TB.
Addressing journalists, Dr Bonsu said “Ghana is on course in the area of TB control”.
He explained that in 2007, the country exceeded the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended treatment target of 70 per cent, by five per cent.
Information made available to journalists at the function indicated that the implementation of the Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) in Ghana had recorded major improvement. In 1996 out of 6,245 cases recorded, 1,057 (16.9 per cent) were cured but 3,863 (61.9 per cent ) were not evaluated.
The situation has, however, improved as at 2006 where out of the 7,786 cases registered, 5,519 (70.0 per cent) got cured and 251 (32 per cent) were not evaluated.
These statistics, according to Dr Bonsu, showed tremendous increase in the adherence to treatment, and that proper supervision of patients had increased the cure rate and the number of cases being accounted for or evaluated.
He called on the media to support the health sector in its fight against TB and said “together we can eliminate the disease”.
The Head of Disease Control and Prevention Department of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Kyei Faried, said since Ghana had been able to control diseases such as poliomyelitis and measles, TB could be also be controlled.
Dr Faried, who was the chairman for the function, said that although there were challenges, the GHS had performed creditably in the area of disease control and management and called for support from all stakeholders.
TB is an air-borne disease. It is transmitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes, shouts, sings and talks. Symptoms of TB include fever, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss and persistent cough for more than two weeks, among others.