Will the drive to find-treat-prevent TB continue till we end TB?
SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS
Despite being the most populous district of Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in India, Kangra has also led from the front in caring for largest number of people with TB in the state. Compared to the national average in India, Kangra offers TB tests to 3-4 times more people per 100,000 population.
Good news is that TB rates have been consistently declining in the past three years. More importantly, Kangra has made the steepest stride in making the greatest number of village-panchayats' TB free in the state (81 out of 559 panchayats are declared TB-free already).
Indian government has made a radical shift in finding, treating, and preventing more TB recently. It launched a 100-days campaign last month to focus on those who have a higher TB risk and offer them state-of-the-art artificial intelligence enabled and computer-aided TB detection by an ultraportable handheld X-ray and offer WHO-recommended upfront molecular test to those who are presumptive for TB.
Another policy change is to screen everyone and not just those with TB symptoms (as almost half of TB patients were asymptomatic and could be found early only through an X-ray in national and sub-national TB prevalence surveys of Indian government). Finding people with TB (early and accurately) and offering them effective TB treatment also stops further spread of pulmonary TB, so treatment is prevention too.
Also, those found without active TB disease in high TB risk populations are to be tested for latent TB - and if found positive for it they are being offered TB preventive therapy (TPT).
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).