Amit Kumar (name changed), 39 years old, executive chef at a five-star hotel in the capital, was in for a shock when he met his doctor at Max Hospital at Saket, last January, complaining of persistent cough and fever. The diagnosis was unequivocal: tuberculosis (TB).

Consumption of highly contaminated and toxic water of Manchhar Lake continue to spread gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, C and typhoid among fishermen and their families living in the lake

Health and Family Welfare Minister Prof AFM Ruhal Haque has said necessary measures will be taken to reduce indoor air pollution (IAP) to minimise its dire impact on human body, preserve ecosystem and mitigate global warming.

A vast majority of the world

Lifestyle diseases

About five months ago, 16-year-old Rahul Jain had to stop playing cricket in school because his legs shook at odd moments and he would lose balance. When it became frequent, his parents took him to the doctor who diagnosed him with brain TB or tuberculosis meningitis. TB in the brain and spinal cord affects the tissue surrounding the spinal cord. This leads to difficulty in walking.

Tuberculosis is a serious health problem in Bangladesh as some 50 percent of the adult population are contagious with the mycobacterium tuberculosis germs, physicians told a roundtable yesterday.

"Bangladesh is in 6th position among 22 countries in the world where number of tuberculosis patients are found largest," said Dr Mafuza Rifat, senior specialist of BRAC healthcare programme.