T.B ADVOCACY WORKSHOP FOR JOURNALISTS.

A day Tuberculosis advocacy workshop has been held for Journalists in Accra by the National Tuberculosis Program of the Ministry Of Health.The advocacy workshop is part of programs outlinned for this years tuberculosis day which is celebrated 24th March of every year. The objective of TB Day celebration is to educate the general public on the symptoms and treatment of TB,encourage people to get tested at a DOTS clinincs if they have symptoms of TB,encourage family and society support for the affected among others. Journalists were drawn both from the print and electronic media.TB day is celebrated every year through -out the world.The theme for this years commemoration is "I am stopping T.B". Some key empowerment message for the celebrations are, T.B partients can stop it by becoming active participants in their own cure and taking all their anti TB drugs as prescribed,the family has a role to play by supporting patients to achieve cure and helping to dicover more cases in the home,teachers can stop TB by educating their students about the preventable and curable diseases and health workers can also stop TB by staying alert to the symtoms of disease and providing prompt diagnosis and treatment among others.This years celebration will take place at Blogatanga in the Upper East region in connection with all actors of TB.Speaking at the workshop Mr. Felix Afutu said TB was preventable and caused by bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.In its actions,it first attacts the lungs (pulmonary TB) but it can also affect any part of the body(extra pulmonary TB) .Pulmonary TB is transmitted from a sick patient as a droplet infection through coughing,sneezing and singing. Inhalation of these droplets by an uninfected person may cause infection.The risk of TB increases with the frequency and duration of contact with people who have the disease.Mr. Afutu further stated that TB has been found to be the leading cause of death in HIV infected persons.It causes severe illness and increase progression to AIDS.Briefing the media on the effects of TB in society he said,TB posed serious threat to society both socially and economically. Socially TB patients are ostracized from society because of stigma attached and economically it drain the coffers of Government and the affected person. Madam Cynthia Oware, also made presentations on the role of the media in TB control such as media understanding TB issues,educating and empoering the public.The media can also carry out advocacy activities such as community stories on TB,NGO interventions and good practices among others .Dr. Hanson Nortey also delivered a paper on the emerging issues in TB/HIV,MDR TB.The Mycobacterium Tuberculosis the bacterium that causes TB was first announced by Dr.Robert Koch on 24th March 1882.

BY:Michael Amedor