TB awareness walk held in Zhob

Rafiullah Mandokhail

ZHOB: In order to commemorate the World TB Day, on the directives of provincial health department, PPHI and District TB Control Program organized a walk on the premises of the DHQ hospital with participants holding banner inscribed with slogan ‘TB is easy to cure’ here on Saturday.

The walk was led by Medical Superintendent and head of the program Dr. Akhter Mandokhail, who was flanked by District Heath Officer Dr. Muzzafar Shah, Dr. Sheikh Naseeb Mandokhail, Dr. Bayazeed Mandokhail, Dr. Shah Zeb Mandokhail, District Support Manager People’s Primary Healthcare (PPHI) Syed Aman Shah, Nutrition Officer Alamgir Mandokhail, President Para Medical Staff Association Tahir Hotak and medical staff.

Addressing the participants, Dr. Akhter Mandokhail, Dr. Muzzafar Shah, DSM Syed Aman Shah, Medical Officer Daulat Shah Hariphal, Para medical staff representative Muhammad Amin Kakar and Tahir Hotak said that the day was being observed with aimed at strengthening the ongoing efforts to check tuberculosis that kills over two million people each year and inflict eight million across the globe.

“Lack of awareness, Illiteracy, scattered population and little access to health facilities are the key factors behind the spread of TB that needs mass awareness about the disease.” They emphasized. All the stakeholders of society should come forward and play their vital role for creating awareness among the people to control tuberculosis. They said.

“Although the disease is spreading at an alarming rate in bordering district, yet hundreds of TB patients are being treated free of cost at DHQ hospital,” they added. According to health experts, commonly diagnosed forms of tuberculosis among children included lungs TB, spinal cord TB, intestinal TB and bones TB. It is an air-borne infection and the most common symptoms are cough for more than two weeks, low grade fever, loss of appetite or weight loss. These non-specific symptoms can lead to delays in seeking care and the transmission of the bacteria in the community. People with active TB can infect around a dozen others through close contact.