TB CASES up by 8 pc in the city

Though the government is keeping no stone unturned, it seems like the number of Tuberculosis (Tb) patients are on rise in the city. In comparison to 2016, the number of cases has been increased by over eight per cent. In 2016, 42,115 cases of TB were recorded that increased to 45,675 in 2017.

Similarly, the number of drug-resistant Tb has surged up from 4,374 to 4,891 in the year 2017. A senior health officials claims that due to better diagnostic facilities and daily reporting has led to increased in number of Tb cases. According to the recent data received from the civic health department, there were 4,374 patients in the city with multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB in the year 2016 which has been increased to 4,891 in the year 2017. “The city witness 11 per cent increase in the number of patients suffering from drugresistant tuberculosis,” said senior health official.

In 2015, 3,608 patients in the city with multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB were reported.

STRAIN RESISTANT

Totally drug resistant TB is used to refer to strains that are resistant to all the first line drugs as well as all the second line TB drugs that can be tested for. In other words they are strains resistant to everything that can be tested for. XDR TB refers to strains of TB that are resistant to rifampicin and isoniazid, two of the main first line TB drugs. The strains are also resistant to a fluoroquinolone and to at least one of the second line injectable TB drugs.