Journalists should play the lead in providing information on measures to fight against tuberculosis (TB).

The call was made by Malick Kayumba from Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), during a training session that brought together journalists from various media houses especially, reporters on health issues.

"Tuberculosis is a curable disease, but the problem is that people do not follow the right or required measures to ensure complete treatment,” said Kayumba.

He explained that a tuberculosis patient is supposed to undergo treatment for six months and upon completion of the given dosage, tests must be carried out to determine the condition of the patient.

"If the doctor realizes that there is still need for that patient to continue treatment, the medic will make recommendation depending on the results, which may result in being treated for about nine months,” he said.

He also advised that upon realizing signs of the infection, it was advisable to seek medical attention to avoid infecting others.

"When a patient starts getting treatment, he or she does not infect others. But the high rate at which people infect others is a result of failure to abide by the prescription,” he said.

"TB can easily be identified through persistent cough, respiratory hardship, loss of appetite that leads to weight loss and night perspiration among other symptoms,” he said.

Worldwide, tuberculosis has claimed 1.7 million lives since 2009, and about 8,000 cases are identified in Rwanda every year.