6 million Delhiites vulnerable to TB

September 8, 2008

Dear Forum,

NEW DELHI: Nearly six million Delhiites of its population of 15 million are

vulnerable to tuberculosis, a health ministry official said.

" At least 40 percent of the population is vulnerable to TB, " LS Chauhan, deputy

director general (TB),ministry of health and family welfare, said.

" This does not mean that Delhi is home to six million TB patients at this point

of time. But yes they are vulnerable. Unless they take precautions, many of them

can fall victim to the disease, " Chauhan said.

Last financial year, nearly 50,000 new cases were put under TB treatment of

which 13,695 were sputum infectious cases.

V.K. Arora, vice chairman of the TB association of India (TBI) said: " The

majority of the TB victims in Delhi or any other part of the country are migrant

labourers, slum dwellers, residents

of crowded localities, and pockets of urban slums. "

" Poor living conditions and malnutrition are other reasons for the spread of the

disease, " Arora added.

To deliberate on the threat of TB and other chest diseases, Delhi is hosting an

international conference beginning Monday. Nearly 500 experts from south Asian

countries and some from France are participating in the three-day conference.

Chauhan, however, said that the revised national tuberculosis control programme

(RNTCP) is doing a good job in curbing the spread in the city.

Since 1997 (till March 2008), Chauhan said, 354,116 patients have been put on

DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment - Short Course) regime.

According to ministry statistics, in Delhi, the DOTS programme has so far saved

over 62,000 lives. The death rate has been consistently below 2.5 percent.

While the general risk of infection is 1.9 percent, in urban slums it is 2.2

percent.

Authorities said Delhi has so far established 188 diagnostic facilities and

there are nearly 580 DOTS centres across the city. The state is among the three

states (Maharashtra and Gujarat are others) to have introduced DOTS plus to

battle drug resistant TB.

India is amongst the top TB prevalent countries in the world and its

contribution to the disease's burden is at least 20 percent.

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In Public interest: Shelter

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