‘ Hurdles have hit India’s fight against TB’
ALARMING In 2015, 17% of TB cases under RNTCP were from UP alone
Despite making some progress in the war against tuberculosis (TB), India still faces some big hurdles which are making the target of eliminating TB by 2030 difficult, according to experts.
During a lecture on the disease on the second and concluding day of the 70th NATCON, conference of pulmonary medicine experts at King George’s Medical University here on Sunday, Prof Digamber Behra, HoD, Pulmonary Medicine, PGI Chandigarh reviewed India’s efforts in the fight against tuberculosis.
“The main problem is the number of new cases coming up every year. We need to focus as even China that has more population than us has curbed significantly new cases,” he said.
“Eliminating TB needs political, social and medical initiatives and the most important will be participation of medical colleges and private doctors in the country,” he added.
Dr Sunil Khaparde, deputy director general, TB-Central TB Division, Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), presented details of the initiatives to improve TB diagnosis and treatment in India under RNTCP.
“We are launching a number of important new initiatives -the Daily Treatment Regimen to be launched in five states on a pilot basis under which TB drugs will be administered in fixed doses daily; 500 CBNAAT machines to conduct Rapid Molecular Tests for diagnosis of drug resistant TB and treatment of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium TB through Bedaquiline and daily DOTS regimen in HIV-TB patients,” said Dr Khaparde.
Professor Surya K ant, head, Respiratory Medicine Department, KGMU said, “Not just TB but other chest diseases also have been historically neglected. At present 25% of population suffers from allergy in our country. Childhood pneumonia continues to be a lead cause of death for children under five years of age.”
Dr Ved Prakash, joint organising secretary of the event said, “Early diagnosis is key to controlling TB due to increase in coinfection. People with diabetes are at 2-3 times higher risk of developing tuberculosis.”