As Ghana joins the globe to mark 2021 World Tuberculosis Day today, Wednesday, 24 March 2021, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has urged the public to immediately report symptoms of TB including coughing, fever and difficulty in breathing to hospital for treatment to minimise TB burden in the country.

World TB Day is observed on March 24 every year to raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

According to the Director-General of Ghana Health Service Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, although TB is formidable in sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana, global response action to COVID-19 pandemic in recent years has diverted health resources and workforce away from providing essential services, medicine, care and life-saving diagnosis needed to sufficiently cater for TB patients.

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 4,000 people die from TB every year.

Speaking at the 2021 World TB Day press briefing in Accra today, 24 March 2021, Dr Kuma-Aboagye in a speech read on his behalf by Director of Public Health Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe said "Global attention is dominated by Covid-19, TB is very formidable in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana is no exception. In low middle-income countries including Ghana, TB remains one of the biggest infectious diseases that kills. The theme for this year's World TB Day is a reminder to all stakeholders that the world and for that matter, Ghana's time is running out to act on commitment to end TB".

The theme for this year's celebration is "The clock is tickling to reach the end TB target by 2035".

For his part, Programme Manager of TB Control Programme Dr. Yaw Adusi-Poku urged the public to take advantage of the free TB test whilst encouraging their families and friends to frequently report to health facilities for treatments.

Meanwhile, National TB Ambassador and Paramount Chief of Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area EHUNABOBRIM NANA PRAH AGYENSAIM IV in a speech read on his behalf by WHO Consultant Chief Austin Obiefuna has charged the public to immediately stop stigmatisation against TB patients but rather whip up their interest to report symptoms of TB including coughing, fever and difficulty in breathing to hospitals for treatments.

The government of Ghana in 2018 joined world leaders at a high-level UN meeting to reaffirm Ghana's commitment to end the global TB epidemic.