DHAKA: About 1.3 million people die in Tuberculosis every year globally and 12 million are currently suffering from the diseases.

There are a total of 4,200 patients in Bangladesh, of them, 2,761 are receiving medical treatment.

The data was revealed at a press conference at VIP Lounge of the National Press Club in the city on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day 2014.

National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTPC), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, BRAC and 39 other development organizations jointly arranged the conference, chaired by NTPC line director Asheq Hossain.

NTPC consultant Dr Mjibor Rahman read out the keynote paper presenting an overall statistics of global Tuberculosis situation during the year of 2012.

Eighty percent of Tuberculosis patients live in 22 countries, and 40 percent of patients globally are in South East Asia region, the paper said.

Asked on why the patients are sent to take Tuberculosis treatment at the final stage of the disease, speakers said the country has many high-profile doctors and cent percent treatment have approximately been providing through DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) centers.

BRAC’s health, nutrition and pollination programme associate director Dr. Akramul Islam, National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (TB Hospital) associate professor Dr Abdus Shakur Khan and Urban Primary Health Care Secondary project director Dr Abu Bakar Siddique, among others, were present at the conference.

BDST: 1457 HRS, MAR 23, 2014