Tuberculosis (TB) is alarmingly increasing in the developing countries where food, sanitation and treatment facilities are still at the stage of improvement. It can turn into an epidemic if appropriate and concrete steps are not taken to check it.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has planned to eradicate this disease by spending huge funds. Today one person is dying of TB after every 20 seconds. It has become the second biggest fatal disease after HIV/AIDS in some countries.
These views were expressed by the Punjab Minister for Special Education, Tahir Ali Javed, Provincial Commerce and Investment Minister, Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema and Chairman Pakistan Medical Society, Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh while presiding over a meeting under the auspices of Pakistan Medical Society in connection with the World TB Day here on Wednesday.
Dr Sohail said that awareness about the disease was vital not only among those living in big cities and towns but also among the rural population. The purpose of observing this day at global level is to eradicate TB from the world completely.