Sekondi-takoradi: Mr. Lambert Kweku Ankomah, the Western Regional Tuberculosis (TB) Coordinator, has called for a collective action from all stakeholders to help end TB transmission in the country. In an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the occasion of World TB Day, he emphasized that ending TB is achievable with strong government leadership and active community involvement in advocacy and awareness creation.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Western Region recorded an estimated 2,723 TB cases in 2025, with 2,669 individuals registered for treatment. Out of these, 2,646 were successfully treated, marking a treatment success rate of 99.1 percent. However, Mr. Ankomah noted that 15 individuals, representing 0.6 percent, succumbed to TB in the region in 2025. He highlighted that the estimated case detection is increasing annually due to undetected cases within communities, which continue to spread the disease.
Mr. Ankomah pointed out several risk factors associated with TB, including illegal mining (galamsey), malnutrition, smoking, alcohol use, and overcrowding. To combat the transmission, the Western Regional Health Directorate has implemented interventions such as intensified case finding and screening at health facilities' Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and entry points. The region has 17 TB diagnostic facilities serving all 14 districts, with all health facilities linked to a diagnostic center for timely results and early treatment initiation.
Health officials have also carried out periodic community screenings in hotspot areas for early diagnosis and treatment. Mr. Ankomah stressed the importance of counseling, screening, and testing contacts of confirmed TB patients, initiating treatment for those who test positive, and providing TB Preventive Therapy (TPT) for negative cases.
Addressing misconceptions, Mr. Ankomah urged the public to reject the notion that TB is incurable, emphasizing the region's 99.1 percent treatment success rate. He encouraged individuals exhibiting TB symptoms, such as cough, weight loss, chest pain, fever, and coughing blood, to seek screening and treatment promptly. Mr. Ankomah also advised against stigmatizing those diagnosed with TB, urging communities to show compassion and support to halt the disease's spread.
World TB Day, commemorated on March 24 annually, aims to raise public awareness about TB's health, social, and economic impacts and to enhance efforts to end the global pandemic. The theme for the 2026 commemoration is 'Yes! We Can End TB: Led by Countries, Powered by People.'