Centre identifies 103 high-risk spots for tuberculosis in state

Panaji: The Centre has identified 103 high-risk spots for tuberculosis (TB) across Goa, which the directorate of health services (DHS) will focus on during the ongoing TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, a 100-day campaign.

State TB officer Dr Manish Gaunekar told TOI that the high-risk spots across the state were identified by the Union health ministry using an AI tool based on 30 parameters.

In addition to these high-risk spots, the DHS has identified 2.4 lakh vulnerable people, which includes senior citizens, alcoholics and those with diabetes etc. Of these, the DHS has already screened 1.5 lakh for TB till date. DHS is targeting screening of the rest, approximately 88,999 of the vulnerable population, during the 100-day-long campaign.

“We will be screening everyone in the vulnerable population as well as the high-risk population with chest X-rays. In addition, we will also check their haemoglobin, BP, blood sugar and BMI,” Gaunekar said.

In the case of asymptomatic vulnerable persons on whom chest X-rays have already been conducted over the past year, a chest X-ray will not be repeated.

During the campaign, DHS will also screen congregate settings where there is concentration of population construction sites, boarding schools, old age homes, prisons, etc.

“Our TB incidence reduced by 48 per cent from 2015 and our testing rate has also increased. Through the 100-day campaign, we want to identify those who have been missed and start them on treatment. We hope to achieve elimination at the earliest,” he said.

The challenges to elimination of TB are alcoholics and diabetics who don’t get screened early despite having symptoms and tend to come in late with extensive TB. They often also don’t adhere to treatment.

Diabetics who complete treatment for TB sometimes are not regular in taking their diabetes medication and as a result, return with a recurrence of TB, he said.

The floating population sometimes also poses a challenge when they begin treatment in the state, but then move and cannot be traced, he said.

Contacts of TB patients are also reluctant to be put on preventive treatment and to take medication, he added.