Cell shares info ahead of World TB Day
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 20 2015 : The State TB Cell, Manipur has shared information on TB cases ahead of the World TB Day to be observed on March 24 .

Addressing a press conference, State TB Officer Dr Y Gopalkrishna said that in 2014, 1780 new TB cases were detected in the State.

Since 2001, a total of 53,220 TB patients were treated out of whom 46194 were successfully treated and 1687 patients died in the past 15 years.

So far, 125 cases of MDR TB (multi-drug resistant TB) have been detected, out of which 88 patients are under treatment and 12 patients have already been cured after undergoing treatment of 2 years and 4 months.

MDR TB has claimed the lives of 12 patients till date, he added.

Saying that Manipur has 56 Designated Microscopic Centres where sputum tests are done, Dr Gopalkrishna said that the State has an IRL intermediate referral laboratory for three States of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Informing that Serology (blood test) is banned in India as it cannot differentiate TB disease and TB infection, Dr Gopalkrishna said that a person may be infected by TB bacteria but it may not manifest signs and symptoms in the case of TB infection and the infected person will not be counted as being diseased and no treatment is required.

If unnecessary treatment is administered, the individual may suffer from side effects of the medicines, he added.

Dr Gopalkrishna added that TB is curable and mass awareness is needed in this regard.

There are 888 DOT centres across the State, he said and added that there is a centre for drug resistant treatment in Churachandpur district hospital.

NACO and RNTCP are collectively working on treatment of TB-HIV co-infection, he added.

TB is curable after proper treatment with full course of medication, Dr Gopalkrishna said and added that TB is a public health issue and it needs collective responsibility from all sections of the society.

He said that chest pain, coughing of blood, evening rise of low grade fever, difficulty in breathing, night sweating, weight loss, appetite loss and tiredness are the major symptoms of TB.

TB treatment is provided free of cost with free testing facilities, he said and added that timely treatment can easily cure the disease.

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