There were 56 cases of Tuberculosis (TB) diseases recorded in the Northern Division last year.

This was confirmed by National Tuberculosis Programme control officer Loma Yavala when ending a two-day training programme attended by 50 nurses and doctors of the Northern Division at the Friendly North Inn in Labasa.

Ms Yavala said the national number of cases was expected to increase to about 400 to 500 by the end of this year.

“Northern Division makes up 15 percent of the actual cases recorded for the country,” Ms Yavala said.

Ms Yavala said the ministry was aware that the staff serving TB patients were vulnerable and had a high possibility of getting infected by the bacteria.

“What we have noted is that the Ministry of Health’s trained nurses and doctors become vulnerable of these cases,” she said.

“We are very fortunate to have a committed Government, especially TB services in Fiji and our partners, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Global Fund for organising this training.

“It is very important we take care of our medical professionals as sometimes they get exposed to bacteria related to TB.

“As for the local programmes being conducted, we also recorded a significant increase in the number of TB cases.

“This is due to the increased number of activities that have been done by the implementing units in the three centres, Lautoka, Labasa and Tamavua, as we are achieving our targets.”

The next training would be at the Tanoa Hotel in Suva tomorrow and Tuesday for the Central division.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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