Ludhiana, March 23 (Mehak) The slogan for this year’s World TB Day (WTBD) `I am stopping TB’ is simple yet forceful slogan that gives a clarion call to all of us to come forward and make a contribution to the onerous task of eliminating tuberculosis from this planet. There is perhaps no other city in the region for
which the World TB Day matters more than Ludhiana, the industrial capital of Punjab, which has the largest concentration of labour said Dr. Dinesh Goyal, Consultant Pulmonologist , SPS Apollo Hospital .Dr. Goyal urged Industrialists to participate in eradicating TB which is a heavy burden on business, disrupting workflow, reducing productivity, and increasing both direct costs related to care and treatment and indirect costs, such as the replacement and retraining of workers.
Tuberculosis, unlike other new upcoming diseases, is a disease that was prevalent in mankind even before the Christ era. Disease is caused by bacterium termed as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Which spreads from one person to other person by inhalation, a most common mode of infection and subsequent disease. There is a misconception that TB affects only the lungs, but the truth is that this disease can effect different areas of the body and one can be affected by TB of the brain, bones, joints, digestive system, urinary system and reproductive system.The symptoms of tuberculosis are coughing sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
Overall one third of the World population is infected with tuberculosis and about 3 million dies every year. The picture in India is not that different from the rest of world. In India, 1.8 million people develop tuberculosis every year, and 1,000 people die every day, or one every minute. India has over thirty per cent of the world’s tuberculosis patients. In Punjab TB patients has already crossed the 20-lakh mark.
According to Dr. Goyal, there are 51 TB units in the state, each headed by a medical officer. There are 279 microscopy centers, of which 258 are in the Government Primary Health Centers and other hospitals, where the treatment for TB is given free. He said there are 14,506 DOTS centers and each village has a DOT provider. He appealed to the public to take advantage of the RNTCP under which free treatment and diagnosis is provided.
Govt. of India had already started a Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTPC) in order to control this dread disease. Under this program diagnosis of tuberculosis is formed with sputum smear examinations rather than chest X-Rays and anti tuberculosis drugs are given on alternate days in a supervised manner at the doorstep of the patient according to the category of disease he \ she is having. The initial results of this program are very encouraging. Active participation of general population, various non- Govt. organizations (NGO) and medical persons is still required to control the menace of tuberculosis
Dr Goyal emphasized that children must always get BCG vaccination. Other than this, one should always use a handkerchief while coughing or sneezing, not spit in the open and in case of standing fever and cough, immediately contact a qualified doctor".