KULOB, November 19, 2009, Asia-Plus -- A meeting to discuss issues related to combating tuberculosis was held in Kulob yesterday.

The meeting participants included representatives from local authorities, health sector, public associations and political parties functioning in Khatlon’s Kulob zone as well as Muslim clerics.

Mirzoali Miraliyev, the deputy head of the Kulob health department, told Asia-Plus that the TB situation in the area evoked serious concern.  “On average, more than 1,200 new cases of the disease are detected in the Kulob zone every year,” he said.

According to him, medical workers are facing mainly consequences of tuberculosis, beginning treating the disease in the last stage and many causes of the disease are left outside the focus of their attention.

“For fear of disturbing marriage, young people and their parents conceal the disease that leads to infection of the whole family,” Miraliyev noted.

He added that clerics could also help combating TB in the area through calling on their parishioners to take medical advice and examination opportunely.