THE Deputy Eastern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. George Bonsu has advised the public to debunk the notion that certain witches, ancestral spirits and gods cause tuberculosis (TB). TB is an airborne disease caused by bacteria which can affect the brain, lungs and even the uterus of women, he explained. The Deputy Director gave the advice at a day's workshop on tuberculosis organised by the Eastern Regional Health Directorate for the municipal and district information officers at Koforidua. The workshop formed part of a five-day national programme by the Ghana Health Service to sensitise and educate the public on the prevention and reduction of the disease in the country. It was also to educate the Information Officers to enable them to create the awareness and sensitise the public effectively on the need to take their health care seriously. According to the deputy director "every Ghanaian who is about 15 years and above is at risk of being infected because the disease is airborne". About 2,149 TB cases were detected in 2009 by the health directorate in the region but only 564 had been reporting for treatment in the various health centres he disclosed, saying that, "this represents about 26 per cent of the total cases expected to report at the centres". Dr.Bonsu said that "the cost of TB treatment is free, which lasts for only six months and, therefore, any person who has been coughing continuously for the past two weeks should contact his or her doctors or report to any of the health centres for treatment". He said one untreated TB patient could infect between 10 and 15 people within a year cautioning the public to be very careful and stressing that the disease could affect the brain, lungs and the uterus of women. The Eastern Regional Director of Health Service, Mr. Amankwa Akwasi, urged the officers to discharge their duties with a sense of commitment, dedication and work diligently for the success of the campaign. Source: The Ghanaian Times