Carry out all sputum tests on TB patients

WORLD HEALTH Organisation state consultant and felicitator, TB control programme, Dr SK Srivastava has said in order to bring down the incidence of TB disease, all three sputum tests should be conducted on every suspected TB patient.

WORLD HEALTH Organisation state consultant and felicitator, TB control programme, Dr SK Srivastava has said in order to bring down the incidence of TB disease, all three sputum tests should be conducted on every suspected TB patient.

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The health workers should pursue every suspected case to get their sputum examined on three consecutive days, he added.

Addressing the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) meeting at the TB Unit on Friday, Dr Srivastava said it was a matter of great concern that many TB patients would leave the DOT (direct observation treatment) programme without getting fully treated. Due to this they became resistant to TB medicines and thereby infected other family members.

Presiding over the meeting CMO Dr Shantimal Singhavi said out of 135 suspected TB cases identified at the TB Clinic, 28 patients failed to turn up for the second and third sputum tests.

These patients should be again brought to the TB centre and provided treatment otherwise it would affect the success of the entire of RNTCP programme in the district, he said.