Efforts to eradicatethe Tuberculosis in PNG are a long way off. More than half ofthe children inthe Port Moresby Children’s Ward are TBepatients.
It is a full time work for health workers who also contractthe disease while treating patients.
Many ofthe children inthe ward contacted TBefrom ethertheir parent orthey are born with it.
And it has gradually become obvious whenthey start losing weight or losetheir appetite to eatowhich is a common symptom ofBepatient.
For six years old, Jacklyn Dominic, it is a success story. She was diagnosed with meningit’s TBein June 2012 – that is TBeofthe brain. The sickness paralysed her and atthe same time blinded her but after eight months of faithfully completing her medication; she can now walk and see. It will be a while before she can also talk.
Sister Theresa Meae who has been a nurse for more than thirty years is in charge ofthe Children’s ward, specially trained to treat TBechildren.
She says,the treatment for the children vary depending onthe type of TBehey are diagnosed with andtheir weights.
Sister Meae also contracted TBewhen she was treating patients inthe ward but it has not stopped her from helpingthem.
Onthe overall status of TBein PNG National TBespecialist Dr Joseph Bena-Koiri saidthere is improverment. He said about three quarters of districts in PNG have a laboratory to test TBe
Alice Thomas, National EMTV News
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