ISLAMABAD: World Tuberculosis (TB) Day will be observed all over the world on Tuesday.

Pakistan is ranked fifth among the countries where incidence of TB is highest in the world. The key to controlling TB is to raise awareness about its symptoms and proper treatment, as it is a curable disease and the government offers free cost treatment.

The media coordinator of PakistanInstitute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Dr Waseem Khawaja, said that it must be ensured that patients follow the medication plan.

Tuberculosis also carries social stigma, which is a major hurdle to treatment, he added. He said treatment of multi drug resistant TB is most difficult and it has become a major challenge for health sector.

`Multi drug resistant TB is the one which grows when patients stop taking medicines without completion of course. In the hospital over 4,000 patients of TB are treated every year,` he said.

`TB spreads through the air and is contagious. On an average, a TB patient infects 10 to 15 others every year, if not treated well. A person who takes TB medicines regularly, stops infecting others in about two weeks,` he said.A Reporter