Tuberculosis is curable – Health Director
The Gomoa East Director of Ghana Health Services, Mr Wilberforce Adadeh, said the days when Tuberculosis (TB) was feared is over because the disease can now be cured.
Mr Adadeh said this at a TB forum organised by the Gomoa East Health Directorate at Osamkrom Prison Camp in the Central Region for officials and inmates of the camp.
He said the Health Directorate had set up two centres at Gomoa Buduburam and Gomoa Obuasi where a TB patient would go and access treatment.
The District Director said what was important for the patient was to complete the course of the treatment.
He said the treatment covers a six-month period and failure to complete the course would make the disease to develop resistance which made it difficult to cure.
Mr Benjamin Dadson, District Disease Control Officer, said TB is caused by germs called mycobacterium Tuberculosis which infects a person who inhales contaminated air.
He said every Ghanaian is at risk since the disease is air borne and has no respect for anybody.
Mr Dadson appealed to Ghanaians to refrain from lifestyles such as drinking of alcohol and smoking which could affect the immune system making contracting the disease very easy.
Mr Samuel Kudzawu, Executive Director of Alliance for Battle Against TB, a Non-Governmental Organisation, said Tuberculosis is the number one killer of AIDS patients and urged people who coughed for over one week to go for examination.
He pointed out that people who were on TB drugs for over two weeks could not infect any person with the disease.
Mr Kudzawu said the disease could not be contracted through breast milk, but cautioned baby seaters to go for examination to ensure that they were free from the disease in order not to infect the babies.
He advised members of the public to live in well ventilated rooms.
Chief Superintendent Kennedy Asante-Adjei, Camp Commander, said people who drove air-conditioned vehicles were at risk of getting the disease if persons with the disease ride in the vehicle with them.
He advised passengers not to close the windows of the vehicles they travelled on.
He cautioned churches to stop waving handkerchiefs during church services to prevent the spreading of the disease.
Source: GNA