Belize Celebrates World Tuberculosis Day

Belize celebrated World Tuberculosis Day today. According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, last year Belize had seventy-two cases of T.B. – twenty-four were females and forty-eight were males.  The districts most affected are Belize, Cayo and Stann Creek.  The age groups most affected were between the ages of fifteen to fifty-four years of age, following the same trend as seen in previous years.  The National T.B. Program of the Ministry of Health and Wellness continues to engage in the following activities as part of a T.B. reduction strategy which includes improving methods for early case detection and diagnosis as well as effective drug supply and management.  Efforts continue to be supported during these difficult times of the pandemic amidst economic recovery. According to the World Health Organization, global efforts to combat T.B. have saved an estimated sixty-three million lives since the year 2000.