“I am Stopping TB” (Feature)

ON March 24, each year, the world embarks on various forms of activities to commemorate the World TB Day, a day set aside to create awareness on tuberculosis (TB) and how best it could be dealt with.
In Ghana, the event for this year would be launched at the Golden Jubilee Park in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on the theme, “I Am Stopping TB”.
The National Planning Committee in Accra, in conjunction with the Upper East Health Directorate has planned a series of activities to create advocacy in government, mobilise health workers, civil societies, non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and the media to take action as groups and individuals, to address issues in the control, care and prevention of the disease throughout the country. These programmes are expected to be replicated throughout the country.
Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. The disease mostly attacks the lungs (pulmonary TB) but it can affect any organ in the body (extra Pulmonary TB). It is important to note that TB which affects other parts of the body is not as infectious as TB of the lungs.
The history behind the day is that on March 24, 1882, Dr Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. At that time, TB was responsible for one out of seven deaths in the United States ( U.S) and Europe. This discovery was the most important step towards the control and elimination of the disease.
In 1982, 100 years after the discovery of Dr Koch, the first World TB Day was commemorated; sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (IUATLD). The event was intended to educate the public about the devastating health and economic consequences of TB, its effect especially on developing countries and its continued tragic impact on global health.
As has already been mentioned, the theme for the commemoration is “I Am Stopping TB” which was a two-year campaign which began from March 2008. The theme calls for a concerted effort by everyone to join hands in stopping the disease because TB control is no longer the preserve of a few health professionals but everybody in the society.
I am stopping TB is more than a slogan. It is the continuation of a two-year campaign, launched in 2008, that belongs to people everywhere who are doing their part to Stop TB and the day is about celebrating the lives and stories of people affected by TB: Women, men and children who have taken TB treatment, nurses, doctors, researchers, community workers ,as well as anyone who has contributed towards the global fight against TB.
The “I am stopping TB” is a message of empowerment which encourages all people to do their part to stop TB and the key messages for the celebration are: TB patients can stop TB by becoming active participants in their own cure and taking all their anti TB drugs as prescribed. Health workers can stop TB by staying alert to the symptoms of the disease and providing prompt diagnosis and treatment. Scientists can stop TB by engaging in needed research to develop new diagnosis, new drugs and new vaccines.
Other groups of people are teachers. They can also stop TB by educating their students/ pupils about this preventable and curable disease. Communities can stop TB by sharing information to help prevent the spread of the disease and get treatment to those who need it and also the family has a role to play by supporting patients to achieve “cure” and helping to discover more cases in the home.
To identify the symptom so as to seek early treatment, one must be equipped with the right information. The cardinal symptom of pulmonary TB is a cough which lasts for more than two weeks. Other symptoms are loss of weight, tiredness, night sweats, chest pain and cough with blood stained sputum.
It must however be emphasised that every adult has been exposed to the TB infection without knowing but those at higher risks of contracting the disease are: smokers, alcoholics, people living in overcrowded and poorly ventilated rooms, mine workers, and those with lower immunity due to HIV and malnutrition.
TB is preventable, curable and treatment is free in all certified public and private health institutions. It is however not a curse or a hereditary condition. Traditional medicine has not been proven to cure TB.
According to the NTP, TB was cured with effective potent drugs, diagnostics and vaccine in children.
Information provided by the programme indicated that previously, single dose drugs were used in treating TB in Ghana but these drugs were found not to be helping compliance to treatment therefore the new TB regimen was the most potent and cost-effective method of treating the disease as it presented a combination of the same drugs in a single tablet to make administration easier.
The changed treatment regimen, according to NTP, had reduced the period of TB treatment from eight to six months, which was phased into two months of intensive and four months of continuation treatment. Now, the two months of injection has been replaced with oral drugs which have brought treatment closer to the door steps of the patient. This means treatment can be given and supervised in the home by a treatment supporter, relative or volunteer under the Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOT) .
The implementation of the DOTS in Ghana has recorded major improvements. In 1996, a total of 6,245 cases were recorded. Out of that number 1,057 were cured and 3, 863 were not evaluated.
The situation has however improved. As of 2006 and out of 7,786 pulmonary positive (infectious) cases registered, 5,494 got cured and 284 cases were not evaluated. This statistics show an increase in adherence to treatment. Proper supervision of patients has increased the cure rate. Case detection has improved considerably. In 2007, the NTP recorded 12,964, out of this, 7,429 were pulmonary positive patients and in 2008, about 14,400 cases were reported and 7,784 were pulmonary positive patients.
With the introduction of this new treatment regimen, it is expected that there would be better compliance to treatment since the non-adherence to treatment brings about the development of Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR) which is dangerous to the patient and must be avoided.