According to Isaac Opoku Asamoah, a senior technical official at the Greater Accra Regional TB Control, Ghana has 125 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) and 30 fatal cases each day.

He said tuberculosis is a silent killer, and adults in most parts of the developing world, including Ghana, are unknowingly exposed to TB bacteria.

Asamoah, who was speaking with the Ghana News Agency, mentioned that the progression from latent to active TB disease depends on the individual’s immunity.

He said among people with a higher risk of progressing to the disease are smokers, alcoholics, prisoners, people living in crowded and poorly ventilated rooms, mineworkers and individuals exposed to silica.

The technical officer said individuals with lowered immunity caused by medical conditions such as HIV, diabetes, cancer, kidney failure and malnutrition are also at higher risk.

Asamoah said the 2023 World TB Day in Ghana was commemorated with a series of activities, including nationwide screening, especially in densely populated communities, intensifying advocacy and sensitisation, among others.

He said that the Ghana Paediatric Society had offered a webinar to paediatricians to increase their awareness of childhood TB and enable them to screen more children in all facilities.

He said, “This is because TB in children is difficult to diagnose, and research done last year in Komfo Anokye [Teaching Hospital] found 50 TB cases among severely ill children on admission from January to June.”

Asamoah stressed that TB is a preventable and curable disease and said free diagnosis and treatment are available at all public and accredited private health facilities.