Sri Lankan Media Should Play Key Role in TB Control Efforts, Health Official Says

The media in Sri Lanka should play a key role in increasing awareness about tuberculosis and eradicating the stigma associated with the disease, Sarath Amunugama, director of the country's Health Education Bureau, said recently, the Daily Mirror reports. Amunugama was speaking at a media seminar ahead of World TB Day, which is scheduled for March 24. Speaking at the seminar's keynote address, Minister of Health Care and Nutrition Nimal Siripala De Silva urged the media to ensure that health reporting is accurate, because inaccurate reports could undermine public health. De Silva also said that one of the challenges to controlling TB is lack of awareness among people with the disease. He added that many people stop taking medication as soon as their symptoms subside instead of completing the full course of treatment (Jayasekera, Daily Mirror, 3/17). The Ministry of Health Care and Nutrition recently launched its 10-year program to combat TB in the country. According to an unnamed ministry spokesperson, the number of TB cases in the country decreased from 8,983 in 2005 to 8,283 in 2006 (Gunatilleke, Daily News, 3/14). Roughly 66% of people with TB are between ages 15 and 54, Chandra Sarukkali, director of the national program for TB, said last week. The national program aims to decentralize TB treatment centers to improve TB control efforts, according to Sarukkali (Lanka Business Online, 3/14).