TB HIV co-infection causes progression of AIDS: STBO

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Dec 6

State TB officer (STBO), Dr. Y. Gopalkrishna said that TB HIV co-infection is the commonest cause of progression to AIDS and death, and in every one out of three persons who has died of AIDS, tuberculosis is the disease which kills them.

He was speaking to media person today at Manipur Press Club as a part of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) Manipur organised by State Health Society.

The STBO said that central government has set the target of eliminating TB from the country by 2025 though it is currently the TB Capital of the world.

But eradicating TB from the country will not be an easy task as the government will need the help of private health care sectors, professional associates, NGOs and communities to spread awareness as it is one of the most importing tools in eradicating TB, he added.

He continued, in order to detect TB cases from remote areas where people are deprived of medical facilities the government has introduce a new strategy of home to home visit.

During August and September, 37 new TB case were detected during the home to home visit in five districts of the state. Home to home visit is going on in Imphal East, Chandel and Churachandpur, currently, added Gopalkrishna.

As for the year 2016, a total of 1918 new cases of TB were detected, out of it 1564 was detected in the public sector and 354 in private sector. For the year 2017, a total of 2175 was detected till November; out of it 1310 was detected in public sector and 865 in private sector, claimed the STBO.

Stating that the state TB Training and Demonstration Centre has the latest lab and equipment to TB testing and it is done without any charge, he asked the public not to waste extra money by testing in private labs.

He further mentioned that the anti TB drugs of RNTCP, which is given free of cost, is not less in quality with the drugs sold in chemist and pharmacy and it is approved by the WHO the STBO. He requested to use the drugs supplied by RNTCP to save extra money.

On the other hand, the state government has implemented Scheduled H1 medicines under Drugs and Cosmetic Rules from last month to curve over the counter sale of anti TB drugs preventing drug resistance, he added.