Dist has highest number of TB patients

Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 24

Ludhiana district has the highest number of Tuberculosis patients in the state. According to the District Tuberculosis Officer, Dr A Chawla, in 2018 the district reported as many as 13,000 cases of Tuberculosis. The district, with a sizeable floating population, is among the high-risk areas of the state.

Tuberculosis has a disproportionate burden among the poor and the lower socio-economic groups and co-morbidity with undernutrition. Last February, the Punjab Government had issued the instructions to the private hospitals and all medical colleges to notify the patients suffering from TB to the health department to ensure the real-time monitoring of the patient data. The government had also directed the State Drug Controller to ensure that chemists maintain the record of schedule H1 drugs, including anti TB drugs, besides bringing the number of TB patients they were dealing with, in the notice of the district TB officers.

In Ludhiana district, from January 1 to March 24, 1849 cases were notified from the public sector, while 1039 were notified from the private sector.

Ludhiana has three CB-NAAT (Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) machines to diagnose suspected and Multiple Drug Resistant TB.

According to Dr Chawla, the reasons for developing Multiple Drug Resistant TB include non-completion of the treatment, substandard drugs.

On a cautionary note, he says, “Symptoms like persistent cough, low-grade fever, chest pain, blood in sputum should not be ignored. Early diagnosis helps in treating Tuberculosis effectively. The patients must complete the full course of the treatment and in case of side-effects the patients should consult doctor.”

Diagnosis as well as treatment of Tuberculosis is free, Dr Chawla informs.