Tuberculosis: Moving from cure to prevention in Pakistan

Abstract For many years, most of the world’s population is fighting its battle against the disastrous organism, biologically known as “Mycobacterium Tuberculosis”. According to Gul, Fatima, and Shabbir (2013), tuberculosis (TB) is amongst the leading causes of mortality globally, and 98% of these deaths are unfortunately prevalent in developing countries. Similarly, Pakistan is sharing the huge burden of morbidity and mortality by TB despite the preventable nature of disease. According to World Health Organization (2013), Pakistan is ranking fifth amongst the 22 high TB burden countries by sharing the prevalence rate of 373 per 100,000 cases. Tuberculosis can be defined as “an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease” (WHO, 2013). Moreover, according to the Nair, Wares, and Sahu (2010), tuberculosis mostly affects the age group of adults who can contribute productively towards the economy of the country. Therefore, high TB burden can further play a huge role in increasing poverty in Pakistan. Link: http://aeirc-edu.com/ojs14/index.php/IJEHSR/article/view/103/37