Other States - Orissa   

State claims 86 p.c. success under TB control programme

BHUBANESWAR: With the State geared up to observe World Tuberculosis Day on Monday, Orissa Government on Sunday claimed it had been able to achieve 86 per cent success in direct observed treatment (DOT) being adopted in TB control programme.

“We have estimated 230 tuberculosis cases per lakh population per year which is 89,700 per year. By the end of December 2007 a total of 2,72,443 patients have been put on DOT since inception of the programme with a treatment success rate of 86 per cent,” health department in a statement.

The department, however, apprehended that the incidence of TB cases was expected to be higher in urban areas because of overcrowding, poor ventilation and poor living conditions.

Moreover, the disease is also the leading cause of death among the HIV infected persons.

The risk of developing tuberculosis increases by six times in an HIV infected person as compared to a HIV negative person.

“One untreated infectious TB case will infect 10-15 persons in one year. The principle of TB control is to cut the chain of transmission, in order to have a generation of children free from TB infection,” the department said.

In Orissa Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was implemented in 1997 with support of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). By 2004 all the districts were covered in a phased manner, it claimed.

Pointing out that the Government was committed to provide good quality, accessible and free services for treatment of Tuberculosis, the department said the district level authorities were asked to ensure that free diagnostic and treatment services were provided for all TB patients.

Moreover, efforts were on to ensure that all microscopy centres were fully functional with full staff strength. “Treatment is provided under the programme for all types of Tuberculosis like Pulmonary (lungs) and Extra pulmonary (all organs other than lungs),” the release said.

“The diagnosis of new sputum positive TB cases in the coastal areas of the state remains much below the required norm of 70 per cent. All TB symptomatic in the hospitals with a heavy load of outdoor patients need to be suspected and sent for sputum microscopy,” the department observed.

“In the tribal districts, ensuring that the patients complete the full course of treatment is a major challenge which needs to be addressed. Involvement of all levels of primary health care system in the State is essential for successful implementation of TB control programme,” it added.

The state government had spent Rs. 4.37 crore out of Rs. 8.19 crore earmarked under RNTCP in 2007-08.

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