Wa, March 19, GNA- The Brong-Ahafo, Upper West and Central Regions accounted for more than one-third of 697 deaths caused by tuberculosis in the country in 2006, according to the National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme (NTCP) records.

Dr Frank Adae Bonsu, programme manager of the National TB Control Programme, who said this, indicated that the trend indicated a slight improvement on the 702 deaths recorded in 2005.

He was giving an overview of the Programme at the launch of this year's national tuberculosis week at Wa on Tuesday.

Dr Bonsu noted that if TB deaths recorded in the Komfo Anokye and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitals were taken into consideration, the Ashanti and Greater-Accra Regions would account for more than 50 per cent of the total deaths recorded in nation wide.

He said activities of the NTCP in the last decade had resulted in the protection of 1.4 million people from acquiring new infections of the disease while 67,000 deaths were averted.

Dr Bonsu said within the past three years, the TB incidence

rate had levelled to 57 per every 100,000 people, and expressed

optimism that the target set for it under the Millennium

Development Goals would be achieved. He stated that "As a country we are only 8.5 per cent points

below the global TB treatment success of 85 per cent." Dr Gladys Ashitey, Deputy Minister of Health, who launched

the week, said in the past two years, government with support

from the Global Fund, had sponsored TB control activities in the

public and private sectors to the tune of 13, million US dollars. She said this intervention, together with an expanding

economy and a reduction in poverty had led to a slow down in

TB infections in the country. Dr Ashitey said government was holding discussions with the

world Heath Organization to conduct studies to confirm that

positive development. She said government renovated 96 health care facilities in

both the public and private sectors last year for use by patients

receiving treatment at a total cost of about 500,000 US dollars. Mr George Hikah Benson, Upper West Regional Minister, said the region had not yet met the TB reduction target because of

the detection of the disease especially with people living with

HIV/AIDS. He observed that stigmatization against TB patients was

undermining the fight against the disease and suggested that

the TB/HIV policy must integrate treatment and public

education against stigmatisation and discrimination. Dr Elias Sory, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service,

said the current HIV prevalence rate of 5.8 in the Wa

Municipality was too high. He called on stake holders, especially district chief executives

and traditional rulers to assist health workers to fight

HIV/AIDS. The week is organized annually to commemorate March 24

1886, the day Robert Koch discovered the Tuberculosis Bacillus

that subsequently led to discovery of a vaccine to contain the

disease.