As many as 33,689 tuberculosis (TB) cases had been detected in Mysuru district between January 2003 and February 2015, according to figures from the Health Department. World Tuberculosis Day is observed on March 24 every year.
The National TB Control Programme was launched in the district about 12 years ago. The sputum test of 3,46,858 suspected cases of tuberculosis had been undertaken since the launch of the programme till date, and 33,689 persons had been diagnosed with the disease. “These patients have been treated and 80 percent completely recovered,” a release said here.
Primary health centres (PHCs) in the district have been equipped with facilities to conduct sputum test under the national programme. TB patients were also subjected to tests for HIV and diabetes.
TB patients receive Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS), recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), at nearby hospitals and anganwadi centres. DOTS providers were being given honorarium for their services to the patients, the release added.
How DOTS helps
Under the DOTS, patients are supposed to take medicine in the presence of a doctor or a nursing staff during the intense phase of treatment, which lasts two months.
This makes the treatment effective and the patients compulsorily take medicines without fail under the department’s supervision and evaluation.
