The Ashaiman Health Directorate held a health talk on Tuberculosis (TB) with the students of the Ashaiman Senior High on World’s TB Day. The one-day event benefited most of the students who did not know that TB is as curable as Malaria.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease of humans and animals caused by a species of mycobacterium, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mainly infecting the lungs, where it causes tubercles, and also characterised by the expectoration of mucus and sputum, fever, weight loss and chest pain and transmitted through inhalation or ingestion of bacteria.
This year’s World TB Day was marked with the theme: ‘Yes, we can’, and leading the health team from the Ashaiman Assembly, Bernice Larbi, Ashaiman Municipal Health Directorate’s TB Coordinator and Juliet Selasi, Focal Person for Ashaiman Municipal Assembly told the students that TB is an airborne disease and is mainly transmitted through coughs.
They, thus, educated the students on the etiquette of Tuberculosis which include the wearing of nose masks, reporting persons who cough persistently to the appropriate health personnel and staying away from persons who cough in the open.
“We can, as well, advise people whose coughs persist to see the doctor,” the experts explained.
Bernice Larbi said all newly born babies, before they leave the hospital or clinic, are given the BCG jab on their upper shoulder to immunise them against TB.
“And as long as our immune systems remain strong to fight the TB bacteria, we are free from TB. However, that doesn’t mean we should throw caution to the dogs,” she cautioned.
On her part, Juliet Selassi encouraged the students to be ambassadors in their communities, and in Ghana and the world, and for that matter work hard to eliminate TB.
She advocated the continuous use of the nose mask by everybody in the public to avoid inhaling air contaminated with the TB bacteria.
The team expressed the confidence that the students would convey the education to their communities as the world seeks to eradicate TB.
