Centre launches new initiatives to combat TB

Launching a host of initiatives and a new drug to combat tuberculosis, the Centre today said resources will not be a constraint in the fight against the disease and there will no dilution or diversion in the process.
As part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP), Union Health Minister J P Nadda launched Bedaquiline - new anti-TB drug for Drug Resistant TB and inducted over 500 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines.
The CBNAAT is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance, simultaneously.
The test is fully automated and provides results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialized training.

"Until 2015, 121 CBNAAT sites were functional in the country largely providing decentralized testing for detection of DR TB.
"With the availability of these additional 500 machines, access to rapid quality assured diagnosis of DR TB and TB will be ensured in all the districts of India either directly or through a linkage by specimen transport mechanism.

"Additionally, the programme will be able to use this highly sensitive state-of-art technology for diagnosis of TB among key populations like children, PLHIV and extra pulmonary TB patients," said Nadda at an event "Unite to End TB: Fast Tracking access to quality diagnosis and treatment".

The event was organsied by Health Ministry and WHO ahead of the World Tuberculosis Day on March 24.
"The Fight against TB is continuous process and we have been fighting against the disease for a long time. The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) was started in 1997 and saw ups and downs, strategising and destrategising. In the course of time sometimes, the attention gets diluted and diverted and we have to stay focused.
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The Health Minister also released the TB India 2016
Annual Report and the Technical and Operational Guidelines for TB Control in India 2016.
The comprehensive set of guidelines are for management of all forms of TB, including drug resistant TB and strategies for intensified case finding; adherence of more patient centric approaches; and single-window care for patients suffering from HIV and TB.

A handbook for 'Healthcare Worker surveillance for TB in India' and Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Adverse reactions associated with anti-TB drugs were the other e-book launch at the event.
A new radio campaign with TB ambassador Amitabh Bachchan and social media campaign, were also launched at the event.
Nadda also launched the 'Third line ART programme for People Living with HIV'. The life-saving third line ART costs nearly Rs 1.18 lakh per patient per year.
Providing these free would not only safe lives but improve socioeconomic conditions of the patients. This initiative brings India's ART programme at par with programmes in the developed countries.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics for 2014 give an estimated incidence figure of 2.2 million cases of TB for India out of a global incidence of 9 million.
India and Indonesia (23 and 10 per cent of the global total) have the largest number of TB cases.