Tuberculosis cases will rise to alarming figures in Cameroon if the population does not come up for their test and free treatment. Dr André Gotinger, Permanent Secretary of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme told The Sun Newspaper in an exclusive interview in Yaoundé recently.

Health expects in the country continue to lament on the negligence citizens put up vis-à-vis tuberculosis though its treatment has been declared free by the government in all health centers. The dust is yet to settle on the 16th edition of World Tuberculosis Day observed round the globe last March 24 that the Permanent Secretary Dr André Gotinger realises the heavy task still lying ahead of them.According to Dr. Andre Gotinger, “tuberculosis is neither a curse nor a fatality, it is cured and its treatment is free in Cameroon since 2006.

We hoped to have reawakened the spirit of Cameroonians throughout the National Sensitisation Week against Tuberculosis organised to mark this year’s event that was placed under the auspices of the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda. We will keep on with this fight because Cameroonians are still suffering from the disease. Our main challenge is to alleviate human sufferings linked to tuberculosis.

Twenty five thousand (25000) cases are detected each year in our country with fifteen thousand (15000) of them suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. It is very important for any person to go for consultation in any of the 216 Treatment and Diagnosis Centers all over the national territory if that person has been coughing for at least three weeks, spitting blood particles, experiencing breathing problems, lost of weight and appetite, fatigue and fever. These are the main symptoms.

If found positive, a new case will undergo a six months free treatment while an old case undergoes free treatment for eight months. Tuberculosis it should be recalled is an infectious and contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It is transmissible by air. For us to attain our objective to increase treated cases from 75 to 85 per cent, the Ministry of Public Health is counting on the continuous support of its partners such as the World Health Organization, the World Fund, and the German Technical Cooperation.”  

By Doh Jones Sonkey