4th March, 2015 Every year on March 24th the World TB day is commemorated globally. Unfortunately, even in this modern day, TB remains a major threat to human health, especially in Pakistan. A seminar was held to build awareness among students at Prime Institute of Public Health in collaboration with Community Health Science department of Peshawar Medical College and Provincial Tuberculosis Control Program KPK, on 4th March 2015.
Prof. Muhammad Aman Khan (Head of CHS department PMC) delivered the opening notes. “Pakistan is currently 5th in the list of countries when we talk about the no of TB cases” he said. During his address he also added that the major portion of people affected from Tuberculosis belong to the age group of 15 to 50. Lastly he shed some light on how we could create awareness regarding TB among general public through concentrated community efforts.
The keynote speaker Dr. Maqsood Ali Khan, the Provincial Project Manager for (The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) TB Control Program Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also added his inputs. The shared a detailed presentation on What TB is, its history and the present day Global TB facts and figures. “According to the latest research and findings, 1/3rd of the World’s Population is infected by TB and approximately 9 million people fell ill with TB in 2013” he said. He also discussed some of the major symptoms, myths, and diagnosis of Tuberculosis. Talking about the treatment he emphasized on following the DOTS strategy, commitment at all levels, regular supply of drugs as well as systematic recording and reporting. He further said “Our mission is to make Khyber Pakhtunkhwa TB free and to reduce TB prevalence and death rate by 50% by 2025”
Later on a few of the students from Peshawar Medical College also contributed to the seminar’s agenda. Mr. Asfandyar delivered a PowerPoint presentation on the overview while Miss Sonia shared a real life case study on the symptoms, diagnose and cure of Tuberculosis.
