Aheli Moitra
Nagaland observed World Tuberculosis Day on March 24. The theme this year was ‘Wanted: Leaders for a TB Free World.’
What is Tuberculosis?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a kind of bacteria that most often affect the lungs. TB is spread from person to person through the air, propelled when a carrier coughs, sneezes or spits. Given mild symptoms, TB is sometimes detected too late leading to more transmission. Activist Abou Mere had once stated that one-third of all TB cases are missed – not diagnosed or not treated or not reported. Among the missed are the most vulnerable – women and children, the malnourished, prisoners, miners, indigenous people, the elderly, and people living with HIV.
Statistics suggest that TB is one of the top 10 causes of death globally, with 10.4 million people falling ill with the disease and 1.7 million related deaths reported in 2016 alone. Among them, India has the highest reported burden of TB. WHO statistics, in 2016, suggested an estimated incidence figure of 2.79 million cases of TB in India. This, despite the fact that free and effective medications are available for TB treatment in India with the government committed to end TB by 2025.
Is TB a burden in Nagaland? Extensive media campaigns were run on World TB Day in Nagaland to bring more awareness on the issue.
According to some of the statistics, since 2002, a total of 43,783 patients have been put under various categories of the Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course till 2016. As per the numbers, Nagaland has a Case Detection Rate of 72% (Target 70%) and Success Rate of 91% (Target 85%) as of 2016. As per 2016 statistics, with the inception of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) in Nagaland in 2002, there are 11 district TB centres, 44 designated microscopic centres, 927 DOTS Centres and 2 drug resistance TB centers at Khuzama and Mokokchung.
These are very heartening figures in a world where TB treatment has suffered due to lack of diagnosis, treatment and discontinuation of medication leading to incomplete treatment.
The Nagaland Users’ Network in 2016 stated at a press conference in Kohima, that some of the key challenges to fighting TB in Nagaland has been the delay in disbursing funds by the government, lack of mobile TB screening, lack of awareness among public, poor treatment adherence by patience on anti-tuberculosis treatment, absence of CB-NAAT (a test to determine multi drug resistant TB) in a high prevalence district like Tuensang etc.
They suggested that programs would be successful, and problems resolved, when government programs work in conjunction with civil society organizations and affected groups.
While hiccups may remain, Nagaland can develop the political will to become the first to eradicate TB by 2025. As the Nagaland Governor has already stated in 2017, treatments and diagnostic tests should be accessible to every person who needs it.
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