Of them, TB infects more than three lakh people and about 70,000 die every year, they added.

The workshop on “ TB Control: Role of the Mass Media" was jointly organised by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Brac for working journalists of different print and electronic media at DRU auditorium.

Dr Mahbub Kamal Siddiqui, director of the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, attended the workshop as chief guest while Dr MD Khurshid Alam Hyder, consultant of WHO and Dr Viqarunnisa Begum, programme manager of National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) attended the programme as special guests.

Dr Akramul Islam, programme manager (TB) of Brac Health Programme presented the keynote paper at the workshop.

He said of the 22 high TB prevalence country in the world Bangladesh stands at fifth position.

TB is a communicable disease which spreads through cough and sneeze of an infected person. A six-month treatment can cure a patient. But TB becomes incurable if a patient does not take medicine or stop taking medicine before the end of the tenure of taking medicine, said the paper.

The speakers stressed the need for more media coverage on TB disease as due to lack of public awareness many TB infected patients still don't go to hospitals and upazila health complexes for free treatment.

Dr Mahbub Kamal said as TB is a poverty-related disease, collaboration between the government and non-government organisations is needed to fight the disease.

Journalists have a vital role in this regard, he added.

Dr Viqarunnisa said, DOTS (directly observed treatment short-course) centres have been set up at most upazila health complexes for the treatment of TB patients.

Although TB is a fully curable disease, people still have a fear for it. This has to be removed through mass awareness, she added.

The infection of TB is more prevalent in males than females and due to less outside exposure children are less infected. People aged 15 to 45 are more infected by TB, Dr Viqarunnisa said.

She said there is no countrywide survey on TB prevalence. The government will start a nationwide survey on TB prevalence very soon with the assistance of USAID.

Executive Director of the Centre for Development Communication (CDC) Muhammad Zahangir moderated the workshop presided over by DRU President M Shafiqul Karim.