Multidrug-resistant TB cases on rise in Karnal

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 8

The number of patients suffering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is increasing in Karnal every year, causing concern in the Health Department.

The lack of awareness and carelessness on part of patients and frequent interruptions in treatment are considered to be the major reasons behind the rising number.

As per the data, 211 cases of the MDR have been diagnosed in the district since 2013. Of these, 103 are under treatment. As many as 1,822 TB patients are getting treatment at government hospitals in the district. Forty seven cases of MDR have been detected this year so far compared to 42 last year. In 2013, the sputum of 29 patients was found to be multidrug-resistant, while 28 MDR cases were detected in 2014, 27 in 2015 and 38 in 2016.

Doctors say the early detection of the TB helps in curing the disease.

“It is curable, but should be detected at an early stage. Following some improvement, many patients leave treatment midway, due to which resistance develops for the first line of drugs, including rifampicin, isonex, ethambatol and pyrazinide,” said Simmi Kapoor, Deputy Civil Surgeon (TB).

“The rising number of MDR cases is a challenge to us, so we urge the patients not to leave their treatment midway even if they feel better and are under the impression that they have overcome the disease at the initial stage,” she added.

Dr Manjeet Singh, medical officer (TB Department), said, “We have Inter-Mediate Reference Laboratory adjoining the Civil Hospital for the early diagnosis of the MDR patients. Treatment supporters are providing facilities to the TB patients under their supervision in various government hospitals.”

He said to avoid the spread of the disease, patients must maintain cough hygiene.

Dr Manjeet said the category I of the TB comprises new cases that heal in six months, while category II includes retreatment cases, which take around eight month for healing. Another category comprises the patients of drug resistance in which drugs like refampicil and isnonex stop working on them and the treatment duration varies from nine months to two years, depending on the type of resistance.