Tuberculosis causes infertility in women

Accra, Jan. 9, GNA - Dr Frank Bonsu, Programme Manager of the National Tuberculosis (TB) Programme, on Thursday said pathologists have recently identified tuberculosis of the abdomen as causing infertility in women.

TB affects the mouth, spine, throat lungs and every part of the body but what was most prevalent "in our hospitals was the TB of the lungs, which is about 80 per cent".


Speaking in Accra at a day's sensitisation workshop for the media, Dr Bonsu said the country had been recording high number of TB cases and it was estimated that about 50 per cent of the population has contracted the TB germ.


The workshop organized by the Accra Metro Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Services as part of their sensitisation programme on Public-Private Mix Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Chemotherapy (PPM-DOTS) of tuberculosis control in the Metropolis supported by Global Funds.


This is to promote equitable access to prevention, care, support and treatment for all persons affected by the germ through effective involvement of the private health sector and the civil society in diagnosis, treatment and support for people affected by the disease. Dr Bonsu said globally, Ghana was ranked 32nd and 13th in Africa in prevalence in 2002 with 432 people dying from the disease. Greater Accra Region alone recorded more than 2,000 cases with 63 per cent being males and 37 per cent females.


He explained that, even though, fewer number of women were being infected, they died very fast because of the stigma and late reporting to the hospital.

He said 25,000 people contracted active TB each day whilst 500 died daily and this called for urgent attention.


Dr Bonsu said the disease was prevalent in highly populated areas like the Central, Western, Eastern and Ashanti Regions.


He explained that TB could be treated and that treatment was free, adding that infants and the young could be protected from developing severe forms of childhood TB with BCG vaccination, which is given at birth or soon after together with other vaccines to prevent the six childhood killer diseases.


The Programme Manager urged the public not shun TB patients by asking them to use different plates, cups spoons and even rooms adding "the stigma even helps in killing them very fast".


He also appealed to the public to report to the nearest hospital whenever they detected symptoms like persistent cough for more than two weeks, progressive loss of weight, feeling breathless, sweating excessively at night and having chest pains.

Everybody is at risk of getting TB infection if the one is exposed to an infected person. One is at high risk of getting the germ from common places like in the church, trotro, mosque, market, stadium or any crowded place", he said.


Dr Andrew Arde-Acquah, Metropolitan Director of Health Services, said some private health institutions had been hooked on to the programme and were being trained on diagnosis, treatment and management of TB cases.


He said plans were underway to involve the community members as TB treatment supporters and to sensitise the media on the implementation of the Global Fund for TB control programme.