Central team examines cases in city

The Central Tuberculosis Division (CTD) will finalise the policy on dealing with patients detected with totally drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB) on Wednesday, said Jayant Banthia, state additional chief secretary, health and family welfare.

The Central Tuberculosis Division (CTD) will finalise the policy on dealing with patients detected with totally drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB) on Wednesday, said Jayant Banthia, state additional chief secretary, health and family welfare.

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On January 6, Hinduja hospital had announced that it had detected 12 TDR-TB patients. The CTD team spent about three hours at Sewree TB Hospital and discussed the issue of isolation of the patients. The team also had a look at Bahadurji building, that belongs to the TB hospital and has been lying unused for about 25 years.

The CTD team consisting of Dr KS Sachdeva, additional director general, CTD, Maulik Parmar, World Health Organisation (WHO) expert, and Dr R Anjana, an expert microbiologist, visited JJ Hospital, Hinduja Hospital, and Sewree TB Hospital on Tuesday.

“We have to decide whether the patients can be called TDR-TB or should they be called extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) patients. We have to decide on other aspects including isolation of patients and laboratories that can test these cases,” said Banthia.

XDR-TB is a form of TB caused by bacteria that are resistant to the most effective anti-TB drugs. This form of TB emerges because of the mismanagement of MDR-TB. Banthia had convened a meeting with the CTD team, heads of SL Raheja, Jaslok and Breach Candy hospitals, pulmonary medicine and microbiology doctors from KEM and Nair along with WHO officials.