Ejisu-Juaben Municipality seeing more TB cases

The Ejisu-Juaben Municipality is seeing more Tuberculosis (TB) cases, Mrs Alberta Lomotey, Municipal Health Director, said on Friday.

Last year, a total of 101 new cases were reported with male patients accounting for more than 76 per cent.

As at the end of the first three months of year 2013, 25 cases had been recorded, and Mrs Lomotey said the figures were expected to rise.

Mrs Lomotey was speaking at a Health Education Durbar held at Essienimpong, to mark the World TB Day.

She put the disease’s detection rate in the area at 63 per cent, adding that the risk of infection was also high among males than females.

She spoke of the need to step up public education to create more awareness and encourage those who showed signs of the infection to report early to the health facilities for treatment.

It is important for all to accept to join in the fight to bring down the infection rate in the municipality, Mrs Lomotey said.

Mrs Lomotey advised the public not to discriminate and stigmatize TB patients, saying that could force them to go underground, something that could make it difficult to prevent the spread of the disease.