GJA Raises TB Awareness On World TB Day

The Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) has indicated that it will be partnering the National Tuberculosis Control Programme in celebrating this year’s World TB Day.

A statement signed and issued by the President of GJA, Affail Monney, said the celebrations of the World TB Day will be launched at the Mantse Agbona, James Town, Accra on March 22, 2018.

This year’s celebration is on the theme 'Wanted: Leaders For A TB-Free World'.

The world theme, according to GJA, focuses on building commitment to end TB, not only at the political level with heads of state and ministers of health, but at all levels from DCEs, MCE, regional ministers, parliamentarians to community leaders, people affected with TB, civil society advocates, health workers, doctors, nurses, NGOs and other partners.

The local theme adapted from the world is 'Wanted: Leaders For A TB Free Ghana. You Can Make History. End TB'.

“The National TB Control Programme under the directive of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health, as well as its domestic and international partners and the global Stop TB partnership are working together to eliminate this deadly disease,” a statement added.

World TB Day is typically commemorated on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The event marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

“Despite significant progress over the last decades, TB continues to be the top infectious killer worldwide, claiming over 4 500 lives a day,” the GJA disclosed in the statement.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), it added, “Poses a major health security threat and could risk gains made in the fight against TB.”

“Although TB is preventable and curable, many people in Ghana still suffer from this disease. There are new emerging issues mitigating against TB control that require urgent actions,” it indicated.

“There are also lessons learnt to accelerate ending the TB epidemic, and untold successes to be shared for multisectorial response,” according to the statement.