One million people with TB go unnoticed in Asia: WHO

One million people with TB go unnoticed in Asia: WHO

One million people in East Asia and the
Pacific are afflicted with tuberculosis every year but fail to
seek medical treatment, fueling the spread of Asia's top killer
infectious disease, the World Health Organization warned on
Tuesday.

Undetected cases account for half of about 2 million people
who develop tuberculosis every year in the Western Pacific
region, the health agency said in a statement to mark World Stop
TB Day on Thursday.

It's tragic that so many people suffer silently with TB when
there is, in fact, a cure that works," said WHO regional director
Shigeru Omi. "The sick waste away slowly, suffer financial ruin
and maybe infect family members."

Tuberculosis kills four people worldwide every minute, and in
Asia, it kills 1,000 people every day -- more deaths than any
other infectious disease, including AIDS, the WHO said.

It noted a rise in cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis, which
is more difficult to treat.

The failure to detect and treat the disease has been traced to
poor public awareness, limited access to and delivery of health
care services and low quality of laboratory services.

The internationally recommended strategy for controlling
tuberculosis calls for early detection of symptoms, constant
monitoring, and a six-month drug regimen.

Tuberculosis is a lung disease that spreads through the air,
like a common cold. Symptoms include weight loss, night sweats,
fever and cough.

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On the Net:
World Health Organization: http://www.wpro.who.int

GetAP 1.00 -- MAR 22, 2005 11:06:57