Health Department to screen children of TB-affected families

To save children from getting infected with tuberculosis (TB), the Health Department has decided to screen those belonging to families with existing patients.

The step has been taken after it was observed that children in the age group of 6 months to 5 years were getting infected with TB. Children up to 5 years of age have low immunity and are more prone to falling prey to the disease.

It has been observed that symptoms such as cough are not taken seriously among children, and by the time parents realise there is something wrong, the damage is already done.

“We have seen that out of the total diagnosed patients, nearly 12 per cent are kids, and most of them have been infected from within their family. Kids less than 5 years old remain underdiagnosed. Treatment for kids is the same as for elders, and they have to be regular in taking their medication, which lasts six months or above according to the type of TB,” said Dr Ashish Chawla, District TB Officer.

Recently, a training was conducted at several government and private hospitals in this regard. Paediatricians and medical and nursing staff have also been trained in collecting samples from patients properly.