TB making comeback

Threat of TB looming large in J&K: 12 Drug Resistant cases detected so far

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 07: Detection of drug resistant Tuberculosis (TB) cases by doctors in Jammu region has sent alarm bells ringing in the Health Department engaged in containing the disease in state.

Officials said in past one year 12 cases Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were detected by health officials, off which three people have died recently. If sources are to be believed, new strain of virus could be affecting thousands of people and detection is only possible if they approach the health institutions.

MDR-TB is defined as tuberculosis that is resistant at least to Isoniazid (INH) and Rifampicin (RMP), the two most powerful first-line anti-TB drugs. “We have to put the patients on other drugs but they are costly.

Doctors say that most of the infected people identified belong to labour class and those living in dingy houses, particularly in rural and far-flung areas of the state.

Talking to TNI District Tuberculosis Officer (DTO), Dr Poonam Mahajan said the when a normal patient of tuberculosis stop taking medicine under DOTS-I then we prescribed the patient DOTS-II after that strong medicine will be given to the patient when the diseases increased to drug resistant Tuberculosis (TB).

Dr Mahajan further said that previously for treatment we were using basic Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS), but from January this year the department has introduced DOTS PLUS in which the patient is under treatment for two years. The effected persons take 90 injections in treatment period besides 18 types of medicines regularly.

She informed at present the department has eight such patients who are taking the treatment of DOTS Plus.

Dr Mahajan further said in the department has registered 12 cases Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB), off which four have died.

As per the report in Jammu region the TB cases as in last year recorded in district Doda there were about 1002 cases of TB, in Kathua the cases were 1006, in district Poonch 551 TB cases were record, in Rajouri 815 cases were recorded, whereas in district Udhampur there were 1287 cases of TB. The cases in Kashmir province in the year 2006 was 827, but exceeded to 1476 in year 2010.

The concern authorities has established Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) centre in different part of the state to treat the TB patients. Under this scheme the concern doctor take the saliva sample of the patients for test, and if the reports come positive then they refer the patients to the nearest DOT centre for further treatment.