Dr. Yaw Adusi-Poku, Programme Manager, National TB Control Programme, has urged persons with tuberculosis (TB) to have a positive mindset as they undergo treatment to battle out the disease efficiently.
Dr. Adusi-Poku, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), called for the need for a positive mindset and asked health professionals to properly counsel care recipients to accept the fact that the disease was curable.
“The whole thing about TB is in the mind. So, in the case of a child, care recipients should be properly counseled so that they adhere to treatment schedules. The disease is curable and therefore, they must gather the self-will, the belief, and the patience to start treatment,” he stated.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs. It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and can spread to other parts of the body, like the brain and spine.
Latent TB does not have symptoms. A skin or blood test can tell if one has it. However, symptoms of active TB disease include coughs of any duration with or without pain, feeling tired all the time, night sweats, chills, fever, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
Dr Adusi-Poku called on politicians to formulate laws to protect persons suffering from TB against stigma while creating awareness on the disease.
He said TB was curable but “the stigma associated with the disease prevents people from seeking care early. We have the state-of-the-art machines and potent drugs.”
The TB Programme Manager urged Ghanaians to do away with the misconception about TB and help infected people to seek early treatment to avoid infecting others.
“Persons suffering from TB must do away with the misconception and must be supported by their respective communities to seek early treatment because the disease is curable.” Dr Adusi-Poku added.
