A team of NCC cadets, who have undertaken a motorcycle expedition, to create awareness about tuberculosis (TB), reached the city on Monday.
The 22 cadets from D.G. Vaishnav College, Chennai, led by Capt. S. Santosh Baboo, team leader and NCC officer of the college, started their expedition in Chennai on February 4. “Our aim is to cover all the districts in the state, and create awareness about DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course) treatment ,” said Mr. Baboo. The role of the government in prevention of TB was also highlighted.The expedition in Tiruchi was flagged off by Dr. K.S. Devanathan, president, Indian Medical Association, Tiruchi, in the presence of office bearers and members of IMA. The cadets covered Chathram bus stand, Gandhi market, Railway junction and Central bus stand in the city. They staged skits, distributed pamphlets and conducted a survey to assess the awareness about TB among the public. So far, the team has toured Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Palani, Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Ramanthapuram. A total of 4500 filled in questionnaires have been collected from these places as part of the survey. The cadets will tour Thanjavur and Cuddalore districts, and the expedition will conclude at Chennai. The results of the survey will be released by S. Narasimhan, principal, D.G. Vaishnav College in Chennai on March 4, said Mr. Baboo.