ruthbeme
Well-known member
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=467 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Now, TB on the rise in State</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3 height=10></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Smear-positive cases in 2nd quarter cross 25,000; officials blame inadequate awareness programme[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3 height=10></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3>Maulshree Seth</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3 height=10></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD colSpan=3>
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lucknow, October 26:[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Even as the State is finding it difficult to deal with polio, dengue and chikungunya, a resurge of tuberculosis is here to queer the pitch further for the health department. In the second quarter report of the revised TB Control Programme, the State Government has reported a maximum number of new smear-positive cases ? as high as 25,345. The corresponding figure for the first quarter was 21,560.
The health department however, has still not been able to completely functionalise the District TB Control Programme.
Lack of awareness, lack of check on the sale of anti-TB medicines and increasing number of defaulters are some of the causes leading to the spread of the disease and resistance towards the medicines. In the first quarter report, the number of medicine defaulters among patients was around 2,500, which has increased to over 3,000. As a result, the experts say, drug resistance is increasing by the day. Easy availability of TB control drugs in the market, which are sold without prescription, is adding to the problem.
??For long we have been asking the government to spread awareness about the TB Control Programme. To this day, we face cases where people stop taking medicines on their own without completing the course. There have been cases when patients did not take part of the medication, saying if they have been prescribed five medicines, one less will not do much harm,? said Dr Ravi Kant, assistant professor in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at King George Medical University (KGMU) and a specialist on TB and chest diseases.
??Most of them do not wish to trust the medication owing to its association with the government. Often people ask whether they can trust the programme and say they would rather go to a private physician,?? he added. The lack of check on anti-tuberculosis drug sales is another area of concern. ??There have been cases where patients were recommended TB medicines without proper diagnosis, and after taking half the dose they came to know that do not have tuberculosis. They end up with side-effects that varies from nausea, arthritis and even hepatitis,? said Kant. Arun Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary for Medical and Health, told Newsline: ?These facts were brought to our knowledge recently and we have taken due consideration. Earlier, the districts did not even had full-time district-level TB officials. Those appointments have been made now and we believe it will bring a great difference in the ground level implementation and check of the TB control programme.??
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=206750
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lucknow, October 26:[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Even as the State is finding it difficult to deal with polio, dengue and chikungunya, a resurge of tuberculosis is here to queer the pitch further for the health department. In the second quarter report of the revised TB Control Programme, the State Government has reported a maximum number of new smear-positive cases ? as high as 25,345. The corresponding figure for the first quarter was 21,560.
The health department however, has still not been able to completely functionalise the District TB Control Programme.
Lack of awareness, lack of check on the sale of anti-TB medicines and increasing number of defaulters are some of the causes leading to the spread of the disease and resistance towards the medicines. In the first quarter report, the number of medicine defaulters among patients was around 2,500, which has increased to over 3,000. As a result, the experts say, drug resistance is increasing by the day. Easy availability of TB control drugs in the market, which are sold without prescription, is adding to the problem.
??For long we have been asking the government to spread awareness about the TB Control Programme. To this day, we face cases where people stop taking medicines on their own without completing the course. There have been cases when patients did not take part of the medication, saying if they have been prescribed five medicines, one less will not do much harm,? said Dr Ravi Kant, assistant professor in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at King George Medical University (KGMU) and a specialist on TB and chest diseases.
??Most of them do not wish to trust the medication owing to its association with the government. Often people ask whether they can trust the programme and say they would rather go to a private physician,?? he added. The lack of check on anti-tuberculosis drug sales is another area of concern. ??There have been cases where patients were recommended TB medicines without proper diagnosis, and after taking half the dose they came to know that do not have tuberculosis. They end up with side-effects that varies from nausea, arthritis and even hepatitis,? said Kant. Arun Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary for Medical and Health, told Newsline: ?These facts were brought to our knowledge recently and we have taken due consideration. Earlier, the districts did not even had full-time district-level TB officials. Those appointments have been made now and we believe it will bring a great difference in the ground level implementation and check of the TB control programme.??
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=206750
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