Community physician of the Programme on Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases Dr. Onali Rajapakshe said that there are over 6,000 undiagnosed tuberculosis patients in society.
Although the World Health Organization had estimated that there should be 14,000 persons infected with tuberculosis in the country, only 8,000 infected people have been identified in the country so far, she said.
Dr. Rajapakshe was speaking at a press conference at the Health Promotion Bureau yesterday.
She said that undiagnosed infected people are spreading this disease to many other people in the society and it is a very dangerous situation. She said that anyone of any age can be infected by tuberculosis and out of 100 cases diagnosed about six children can be diagnosed.She said that a person infected with tuberculosis infects 10 to 15 healthy people a year and 45 percent of the reported cases are from the Western Province.
She said that half of the infected people reported from the Western Province are from the Colombo district, and the increase in the population in the Colombo district has led to the increase in the infected people in this district.
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