Ludhiana, August 6
“If left untreated, a single person with tuberculosis (TB) can infect between 10 and 15 persons every year.” Sounding a note of caution in a patient education lecture on TB here, pulmonologist at the Christian Medical College and Hospital Dr Akashdeep Singh said tuberculosis remained a major public health problem in India with 1.8 million people developing the disease every year.

He said: “TB is one of the leading causes of mortality in India, killing two persons every three minutes, and taking the daily toll to almost 1,000. It is a contagious disease, which, if left untreated, will infect many others. TB kills more women in India than any other infectious disease. The disease takes around 3.5 lakh human lives every year worldwide.”

Dr Akashdeep also spoke about the causes and transmission of tuberculosis.

He said anyone could contract the disease. “When someone with TB in his lungs coughs, sneezes, or talks, germs get sprayed into the air and anyone in close vicinity can inhale these and get infected. Contrary to a myth, one cannot get TB from shaking hands or sharing food, dishes, linens or other objects.”

TB patients might show one or more symptoms like cough for over three weeks, weight loss, poor appetite, sweating at night, fever, chills, feeling tired or weak, pain in the chest, coughing up of blood or brown-colour secretion from the lungs.

Dr Akashdeep emphasised that sputum test was the best way to find out if one had the disease.

Once diagnosed, the patient could get relief by taking specialised medication. The patients felt better after few weeks of starting the medication.

As TB germs lived for a long time, the patient must take medicines for a least six to eight months.

Focussing on the benefits of DOTS (directly observed and treated under supervision), he said the therapy had made taking pills easier.

Under this mode of treatment, a nurse or healthcare worker visited the patient every day to give TB medicine.

“This is the best way to make sure you get the medicine you need and your treatment is working. If there is a problem with your medication, it can be fixed right away.”

He added that under the revised national tuberculosis programme (RNTCP), anti-TB drugs were provided in patient-wise drug boxes, which ensured that full course of treatment was available at the start of treatment.

Treatment was provided at a place near the patient’s home, which was convenient and acceptable to the patient and accountable to the system.