World TB Day (WTBD) was observed on March the 24th 2019, as an effort to keep TB high on the global and national agenda. According to the website of WHO, “After the historic UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB last September in New York, the WTBD 2019 theme will ensure the world is reminded of the commitments made and the timely need for action in scale up, research, funding, human rights and accountability”.
The theme of World TB Day 2019 – ‘It’s time’ – puts the accent on the urgency to act on the commitments made by global leaders at various times. The symptoms of TB are very variable and depend on the type of TB.
The type of TB is the part of the body that has been infected. It is very difficult to diagnose TB just from the symptoms, as the symptoms can often be the same as those of another disease. So to diagnose TB it is always necessary to do at least one TB test.
If we have symptoms this is known as active TB. But if wehave in your body the bacteria that cause TB but you do not have any symptoms thisis known as latent TB
The general symptoms of active TB include cough lasting morethan three weeks, weakness or feeling very tired, losing weight without anycause, a lack of appetite, chills, fever (a high temperature of 38C or above)and night sweats
Most people think TB affects lungs only but there are somany cases which are known as Extrapulmonary TB
Extra pulmonary TB, which is also known as disseminated ormiliary TB, refers to all the different types of TB other than pulmonary TB.Generally the types of TB that do not affect the lungs. The main exception tothis is the type of extra pulmonary TB known as Pleural TB.
The general symptoms of extra pulmonary TB are the same asfor pulmonary TB, but there can then be specific symptoms relating to theparticular site or sites in the body that are infected.
Extra pulmonary TB includes.
Skeletal (bone and joint) TB.
Gastrointestinal TB, Abdominal TB or TB of the Kidneys.
According to state TB cell they have registered a total of4774 persons with Tuberculosis (TB) in 2018. People infected with HIV are 20-30times more likely to develop active TB. The risk of active TB is greater inpersons suffering from other conditions that impair the immune system likediabetes, cancer or on dialysis.
PROJECT JEET- Joint Effort for Elimination of Tuberculosis » (JEET), with an aim to partner with the private sector in various states of India to increase notifications, microbiological confirmation of TB patients, and facilitate early treatment initiation and adherence support systems for improved treatment completion rates with mechanisms to reduce the high costs to TB patients.
This project will be implemented in different States in partnership with JEET partners. JEET activities take a multi-pronged approach to engage with the private sector, following the National Strategic Plan mantra to “go where the patients go”. The project therefore proposes to work closely with the patient at all the touch base points. These include chemists, pharmacies, clinics, providers, hospitals, laboratories, and Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP).
Benefits to patients and doctors:
Private sector TB care doctors will be given rs 500 onnotification of a case diagnosed as per standards for TB care in India (scti)and Rs 500 on counselling the patients, and putting them on treatment andcompletion of entire course of the treatment. That means any doctor havingprivate practice will get rupees one thousand per patient. All patients havechoice to purchase medicine at various pharmacies or get it free fromgovernment centers. Also, to address financial and nutritional hardshippatients undergo due to TB, and to reduce catastrophic cost to them, incentiveof Rs 500 per month will be given till treatment is completed and all tests willbe done free.
JEET Project in Kashmir
JEET project, a joint effort between Centre for HealthResearch and Innovation, seeks to engage private sector for TB elimination inIndia by 2025 in accordance with the National Strategic Plan of GoI with fundingsupport from the Global Fund. The project was launched informally on August2018 in Kashmir while state launch was held in January 2019.