TB still a public health problem in Burundi

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Some 6,500 cases of tuberculosis are recorded and treated annually in Burundi, health workers said on Monday in Bujumbura during the observance of World Tuberculosis Control Day.
The figure, however, may not be a real picture of the situation in the country, as many TB patients neglect to get medical attention, the workers said.

A more realistic figure should be more than 15,000 patients per year, said Thade Buzingo, Director of the National Tuberculosis Control Project.

The doctor added that the figures mainly concerned the country's major cities, whereas cases in the rural areas were relatively unknown.

In addition, he noted, efforts to curb the disease were today hampered by the rise in Burundi of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. TB has thus become the main opportunistic disease related to HIV/AIDS in the country, he said.

According to the doctor, studies showed that the number of patients suffering both from HIV/AIDS and TB is increasing.

The most apparent symptoms of tuberculosis are, among others, gradual coughing, loss of weight, physical weakness and increased body temperature.

Buzingo advocated a sustained civic education campaign for the population to make themselves available for treatment in time at hospital rather than at the local traditional doctors.

TB is a disease that can be cured easily, and Burundi has at each health centre the necessary drugs for this purpose, Buzingo said.