Sunyani, July 26, GNA - Sunyani Municipal Directorate of Ghana Health Service recorded 70 cases of tuberculosis (TB) in 2005, as against 69 cases the pervious year.

A total of 33 TB cases have been recorded from January to June this year.

Dr. David Opare, Municipal Director of Health Service, who disclosed this on Tuesday at a review meeting in Sunyani said, the figures fell below a total number of 584 cases expected to be detected yearly in the municipality. He explained that good compliance to TB was very paramount and plans were underway by the directorate to scale-up community participation in TB control.

The municipal director announced that community-based surveillance volunteers would be trained to support TB control activities in all the 246 communities in the municipality to help stem the spread of the disease.

He mentioned chest pains, shortness of breath, fever, night sweat and poor appetite, as some symptoms of the disease and urged the general public to report such to the nearest health facility. Dr. Opare explained that the municipal health directorate had repositioned itself to reduce mortality and morbidity due to TB and gave the assurance that his outfit would do its best to reduce the infection rate until it no longer posed a threat to the public. He condemned the attitude of people, who stigmatised TB patients as well as the habit of patients, who refused to take prescribed drugs, since "TB is curable and its drugs are provided free of charge".