Jalpaiguri: Emphasis given on screening, including sputum test, for TB eradication

Darjeeling: Priority is being given to screening, including sputum tests, in the roadmap to eradicate tuberculosis from the Jalpaiguri district.

The district has shown steady success in combating this menace with a decline in death rates owing to TB.

"The State Government has set a target of eradicating TB from the State by 2025. All districts have to act with speed and efficiency to ensure a TB-free Bengal," said Dr Ashim Haldar, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Jalpaiguri.

The district which is part of a tea belt has been working on eradicating TB since long.

"A roadmap has been prepared to speed up the process and make it more efficient," stated Dr Shushanta Roy, Officer on Special Duty (Public Health) in charge of North Bengal.

Emphasis has been given to screening and sputum tests. The roadmap has been circulated in all block hospitals and TB units of the district. About 3000 screening tests per lakh of the population a year have to be conducted. This amounts to around 250 tests per lakh of the population per month.

About 5 per cent of patients visiting the outpatient department of Allopathic,

Homeopathic or Ayush of block health centres or Government hospitals have to be screened for TB.

Treatment has to commence in government hospitals and TB centres within 3 days of testing TB positive. This is free of cost.

About 3000 patients were diagnosed as TB infected in the Jalpaiguri district in 2022. The death rate has, however, come down. In 2021, 7 per cent of the TB infected had died. This figure came down to 4 per cent in 2022.