20000326

Exercise,

diet help

control TB

ISLAMABAD: Tuberculosis patients can get rid of life-threatening disease only if they get regular treatment besides taking healthy died and daily exercise.

Health experts says a nine-month medication, proper diet, daily morning walk and hygienic environment only can make possible full recovery of TB patients.

The patient is prescribed four or five medicines in the first three months, later the treatment is extended to six months to totally eliminate bacteria in human body.

Usually patients after taking medicines for a month or two feel improvement and stop taking medicines, which results in resurgence of the disease in a more deadly form.

Director General, Health, Maj. Gen. Ahsan Ahmed (Retd) narrating the symptoms of the disease said if the patient coughs heavily and his temperature rises in evenings then he should immediately visit a nearby doctor.

TB germs are present in the whole human body, upto 80 percent in the chest, and not confined to the lungs. Skin and abdomen TB are the common forms of disease in Pakistan.

The bacteria can stay in the body for months and resist the effects of drugs, attacking the body time and again causing great suffering to the patient.

He pointed out that TB germs are also found in the unboiled milk of the cow therefore, one should always use boiled milk.

Spitting everywhere and sneezing in gathering by TB patients is a main cause of TB infections. He advised TB patients to store spit in a bowl and destroy it completely.

A TB patient can infect 10 more patients in a year if remedial measures are not followed strictly, he said.

He said it is a wrong perception that TB patients cannot stay with their family members, adding in the initial stages patients can be treated at home.

While undergoing treatment, patients should not smoke and avoid alcohol, 'naswar' which help the growth of bacteria in the human body.

People lack awareness about BCG every newly-born baby should be given BCG drops immediately to create resistance against any bacterial attack for the next 15 to 20 years, but this is not a permanent solution against the disease, he added.

He said TB is on the rise worldwide and at present an estimated two million people are suffering from this deadly disease in Pakistan.

He said "350,000 new TB cases added every year in Pakistan and out of 15 to 20 million TB cases worldwide, 1.5 to 2 million people are in Pakistan."

In Pakistan, the percentage of TB cases are higher in Azad Kashmir than in other provinces. He said Sindh and NWFP are the provinces where TB cases are increasing. He maintained that few TB cases are reported in northern area.

Punjab government recently released Rs 50 million to combat the menace of tuberculosis in 12 districts of the province, which have been severely hit by this contagious disease, he added.

He maintained that the special anti-TB drive known as TB DOTS (directly observed therapy strategy) is being launched with the technical assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and will cover the districts of Sialkot and Okara Ñ reportedly the worst affected end Ñ 10 other areas where it has emerged as a major killer.ÑAPP