Indore: While the government has set the target to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) from the country by 2025, the lack of awareness among people is proving a hurdle in the ambitious campaign.
Even after awareness campaigns and free medication given to people, many of them don’t want to receive treatment or go for diagnoses as they are either superstitious and or unaware about the disease.
According to Collaboration to Eliminate Tuberculosis among Indians (CETI), 2500 people suspected of TB were found in Khajrana in last three years but only 325 people came forward for diagnoses and treatment. These are the findings of an ongoing survey carried out by CETI (NGO) that works with state health department for TB elimination.
“Out of 325 people who came for diagnoses, 150 were TB patients. Remaining people are not coming forward for diagnoses and treatment. The disease can multiply from the affected person swiftly if not checked,” CETI programme director Sangeeta Pathak said. She said every TB affected person can affect 15 new people.
“As many as 2,175 people avoided diagnosis. Suppose if all of them have TB, then they can affect over 30,000 people who come in their contact,” she said. Citing reason, she said social stigma and illiteracy are a major concern. People are superstitious about TB and don’t want to talk about it. Another major reason is poverty as most of them are daily wagers and don’t want to go hospital by avoiding their work.”
The CETI has appealed to local corporators and religious leaders to motivate people to go for diagnoses and treatment.
No govt facility in Khajrana
There is no government facility for TB diagnoses in Khajrana. People go to MY Hospital for the same. “Non availability of facility in their locality also refrain people from going for diagnoses,” CETI programme director Pathak added.
TB in India, Indore
According to 2019 WHO report, India accounted for 27 per cent TB patients, followed by China with 9 per cent, Indonesia at 8 per cent, Pakistan (6 per cent) and Bangladesh (4 per cent).
As per report, 10 million people had TB in 2018. About 26,90,000 people had TB in India, out of which 19,90,000 were notified. TB kills 1.5 million every year. India also had maximum number of drug-resistant TB, which is 27 per cent of total 130,000 drug-resistant TB cases. China had 14 per cent such cases. Globally, 7 million new cases of TB were notified in 2018, an increase from 6.4 million in 2017.
“On an average, 15 new TB patients are diagnosed every day in Indore district. Revised National TB Control Programme had diagnosed over 11,000 new TB patients in the district in 2018,” Pathak added.
Hurdles in TB diagnosis
1 Social stigma
2 People don’t want to talk about it
3 Poverty
4 No govt facility for investigation
5 Illiteracy
6 Lack of trust
“On an average, 15 new TB patients are diagnosed every day in Indore district. Revised National TB Control Programme had diagnosed over 11,000 new TB patients in the district in 2018”
