Berlin On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, 2008, Johanniter will open a new tuberculosis centre in Angola. The centre can treat up to 900 children and 2,000 adults annually. In Angola, thousands die from tuberculosis each year.
The former tuberculosis station in Bocoio, Benguela province, was completely destroyed during the war, and patients had to travel over 200 kilometres to an alternate tuberculosis centre for treatment. Many patients were unable to afford travel expenses and discontinued their treatment prematurely.
"Patients who discontinue the six month treatment prematurely can become resistant to the TB drug and may continue to spread the disease," explains Dr. Inez Kipfer-Didavi, team leader of Johanniter International Assistance. Johanniter spent the last months building the new tuberculosis centre in order to reduce the number of infections, and will provide necessary medicine, medical consumables, and additional equipment.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organization, no other treatable infectious disease claims as many lives as tuberculosis. Last year, close to 1.5 million people died from the disease. Only 30 percent of Angola's population has access to medical facilities.
Media representatives may contact the Johanniter Press Department for photos concerning Angola. March 24, 2008 is World Tuberculosis Day.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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