Mumbai: A national strategic plan (NSP) formulated by the Central Tuberculosis Division to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 aims to fight the bacteria by better detection, treatment, prevention, and strengthening policies.
Doctors in the field, however, say the war against TB has to be started from the ground level — by teaching the most basic coughing and sneezing etiquettes — to prevent the spread.
While medical practitioners have lauded the government setting itself a deadline, they feel that elimination of TB is an impractical and unachievable goal. Dr. Lalitkumar Anade, chief medical officer at Sewri TB Hospital, said, “TB is an airborne bacteria which has already mutated and become drug resistant. If at all, we should aim at preparing ourselves in such a way that it doesn’t affect us. This can only be done by building better immunity and imparting knowledge among people about the spread of the disease.”
He added, “Coughing and sneezing etiquettes should be imbibed in our culture. Children should be taught about them from a young age.” Dr. Anande believes the dangers of latent TB are ignored to a large extent. “Latent TB is a bacteria which is there in all of us, but it is out body’s immunity that converts the latent bacteria active.”
The NSP mention the evils of latent TB in it’s draft. “TB control faces daunting challenges in India. Decades of unrestrained transmission has left hundreds of millions of Indians with latent TB infection, which may re-activate at any time. A significant proportion of the population is undernourished, which weakens immunity and drives TB reactivation,” the draft says.
One of the prevention strategies in the NSP states that 95% population with latent TB should be started on preventive treatment, if found eligible for it. It also aims at taking treatment success rate of TB patients in private sector from the current 13% to 90% in 2025.
Health Minister J.P. Nadda, speaking at the World Health Organization’s South East Asia meeting, said the plan will be finalised soon. The NSP document was put up for public opinion in February and the stakeholders had to submit their suggestions by March 3.
According to pulmonologist Dr. Vikas Oswal, who practices in Govandi, a Mumbai suburb which has a high number of TB cases, strict follow up, thorough investigations, and confirmation of cure, before stopping the treatment, is very important. He says, “Community interventions are needed the most for the control of the disease.”
