World Tuberculosis Day observed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 24 2014:
The Medical Directorate, Manipur State TB Society, District TB Control Societies, Imphal East and Imphal West have jointly organised the 33rd World TB Day 2014 today at the Conference Hall of JNIMS, Porompat with the theme 'Reach the Three Million; find, treat and cure TB' .
Speaking at the occasion as the chief guest, Dr W Motilal Singh, Retd Director of Health Services, Manipur appealed all concerned to join hands in the fight against TB.
Giving the keynote address, State TB Officer, Manipur, Dr Y Gopalkrishna Singh pointed out that tuberculosis claimed a thousand lives in a day at the rate of two for every three minutes.
As TB infection is transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of tubercle bacilli, every one irrespective of ethnicity and geographical locations is vulnerable to the disease.
As such, failing to take timely precaution against the disease might pose higher risk.
Wrong categorisation, poor drug quality, failure to complete the full course of treatment, wrong dose, or wrong length of time for taking the drugs would result in another kind of TB called Drug Resistant TB.
Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) TB might occur if the DR-TB is not cured, he added while adding that this could be prevented with right treatment.
Saying that out of the 9 million people of the world infected with TB, 3 million people could not be given treatment, Dr Gopalkrishna stressed the need to join hands for curing TB .
Among others, Dr A Bijoy Singh, Director (Health Services), Manipur; Dr O Ibomcha Singh, State Mission Director, NRHM/Director FW Services and Dr N Tombi Singh, Retd Prof, Dept of Chest and Respiratory Diseases, RIMS have also attended the programme.
Direct Observation Treatment (DOT) was adminis- tered to TB patients during the programme.
Presentation of prizes to officials and staff also marked the observance function.