Tuberculosis kills over 100 daily in Bangladesh: Zahid Maleque

In a shocking revelation, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that more than 100 people die from tuberculosis (TB) in Bangladesh daily while around 40,000 people die from the disease annually.

"At least 3.07 lakh TB patients are detected annually and 15% patients are still undiagnosed despite the government's efforts to prevent tuberculosis," he said on Wednesday.

He was addressing a "Launching workshop on the Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Action Plan 2021-23 for TB" at a city hotel, reporte The Business Standard.

"According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 360,000 people are infected with tuberculosis in Bangladesh every year. But, we ourselves have ascertained 307,000 TB patients per year. Thus, 15% of TB patients remained undetected which is a matter of concern," the minister said.

"The undiagnosed patients are spreading the disease to others unknowingly. As such, the detection rate has to be improved and after that, medication and treatment for TB patients should be ensured," he added.

Zahid Maleque said many people get infected with TB and leave treatment midway.  Later, they suffer from more complicated diseases. Awareness should be raised at the family level on TB diagnosis and receiving treatment. The taboo concerning TB patients should be removed.

"Around 97% of patients are cured of tuberculosis after treatment. Regular treatment and the patient taking medicine properly should be ensured. Legal help should also be given to TB patients if necessary," he said.

To meet the TB control targets associated with the "WHO End TB Strategy" and "the Global Plan to End TB by 2030", Bangladesh has prepared a Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Action Plan 2021-2023 for TB.

The goals of the TB CRG Action Plan are to locate the missing people with TB and to define priority interventions that advance TB Community, Rights and Gender Activities in Bangladesh.

The activities will also focus on the engagement and empowerment of people affected by TB, including gender minorities and mainstreaming TB and human rights.