Dr Katoch recollected that one of the two major outbreaks of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in the USA in early 1990s was traced to the doctor who was performing bronchoscopy with inadequate sterilization, which resulted in some of his patients getting infected with MDR-TB. This led to the game-changing step to ensure proper sterilization of bronchoscopes which yielded enormous public health gains. But infection control in healthcare settings is inadequately addressed as of now.
Last mile is often the hardest
Dr Katoch called upon TB advocates to look beyond the obvious, and ensure that those who are likely to be missed out are first to be reached by the healthcare services. For instance, tribal populations often have double or more incidence of TB.
We cannot find a way out of the TB pandemic by the test and treat 'carpet bombing' strategy alone. We have to break the chain of infection transmission and ensure that no further drug resistance emerges, said Dr Katoch.
Building lung health competencies of medical doctors
Over 300 medical experts of tuberculosis and chest diseases were trained in eight workshops held in SN Medical College and elsewhere, before the opening of India's largest conference of tuberculosis and chest diseases in Agra, India, said Professor (Dr) Surya Kant, Scientific Chair of the 77th National Conference of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (NATCON).
Prof Surya Kant is the North Zone Chairman of National Task Force for TB Elimination, Head of Department of Respiratory Medicine at India's prestigious King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow, and is among the few respiratory medicine experts who have been national Presidents of all 3 professional associations, namely, National College of Chest Physicians of India (NCCP), Indian Chest Society, and Indian College of Asthma, Allergy and Applied Immunology.
'Six pack challenge'
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