WHO Country Representative Dr. Arvind Mathur had stated that the regional statistic results for TB were skewed due to the high prevalence of the disease in India, Bangladesh and Thailand.
Speaking to Miadhu, Dr. Mathur said that the spread of TB in the Maldives was strictly controlled but the regional statistics did not reflect this as the disease was high in the region.
He noted that in the Maldives, treatment for TB is managed by the Government but such measures were not carried out in nations such as India, Bangladesh and Thailand. Dr. Mathur highlighted that this posed significant public health risk. Dr. Mathur urged precaution when traveling to India and to strengthen health checks for migrant workers coming from Bangladesh.
WHO had donated the “gene expert” machine, the latest state of the art machinery to detect TB, in today’s ceremony. The machine is capable of detecting TB with a 97 percent accuracy.
TB regional statistics skewed due to results from India, Bangladesh, Thailand: Dr. Arvind
