TB one the deadliest silent killer in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Tuberculosis is one of the oldest killer diseases that is still existing in modern times and so far has claimed millions of lives yet today remains more persistent and deadly than the swine flu cases.

According to statistics, Himachal Pradesh is losing over 500 lives annually due to this deadly disease is known as tuberculosis (TB).

At least 100 deaths are reported from Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district alone out of 550 drug-resistant TB cases in the state in the year 2017 which reveals the death due to this disease in the state are more than swine flu, jaundice, dengue and scrub typhus combined together.

India tops the list of countries with the highest number of TB cases reported from all over the world with an estimated 27 lakh patients and around 4.1 lakh deaths last year.

This data was revealed during the Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme for private doctors, conducted at deputy commissioner office in Dharamshala on Sunday.

Revealing the condition in the state, the report said as many as 16,451 patients were notified in the state of Himachal in 2017 as per annual TB report, of which 736 were from the private sector.

Though the disease is curable, TB still remains to be the leading cause of death from an infectious disease, Statesman reports.

To curb the disease, the sub-divisional magistrate of Dharamshala Dharmesh Kumar said that as a part of urgent matter Mukhymantri Kshay Rog Nivaran Yojna (MMKRNY) has been launched.

Chief medical officer (CMO) of Kangra, Dr RS Rana, informed that 3,173 patients were notified in 2017 in Kangra district, out of which 246 were from the private sector.

“Involvement of private providers is critical to achieving reach to missing cases. The government of India has made compulsory to notify every TB case, whether diagnosed in government or private sector. Legal provisions of Section 269 and 270 of IPC have been added recently,” he said.

Missing the dosage even for a day makes the body drug-resistant apart from discontinuing the treatment for the recommended duration of six months.

WHO consultant Dr Ravinder Kumar speaking on the issue said the Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) develop when the TB drug is improperly administered to the patient or when people with TB stop taking their medicines before the disease has been fully cured.

Dr. Kumar added that once this drug-resistant strain is developed, it can be transmitted directly to others.

“Bedaquiline, the first anti-TB drug to be rolled out in the last 40 years is a ray of hope for ‘extremely drug-resistant’ cases of TB, for whom most existing drugs do not work. DR-TB site of medical college is providing this miracle drug-free to eligible patients,” said district health officer Dr Rajesh Guleri.