OPDs reopen, TB wards see huge rush
Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 30
Due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, case notifications for tuberculosis had gone down by nearly 40 per cent during the second wave of Covid. Now that Covid cases have subsided, patients have started coming to hospitals, resulting in jam-packed TB OPDs.
Ludhiana district alone has reported 1,300-1,400 newly diagnosed cases last month at the Civil Hospital. A few cases of Covid-positive being diagnosed with TB and vice-versa have also come to light.
“TB patients received a setback during the Covid waves. Due to travel restrictions, people could not come for treatment. During the second wave, a few changes were made in the procedure of treatment so that medicines of patients are not discontinued. But the real sufferers were the new cases who never reached the OPD due to restrictions,” said Dr Ashish Chawla, Ludhiana District TB Officer.
On normal days, the TB OPD receives an average of 100 patients but during the second wave, the number dropped to 40 and now that restrictions have been lifted, the OPD receives nearly 150 patients a day, which include both new and follow-up cases.
“After the second wave subsided, we received nearly 1,400 newly diagnosed cases of TB in a month. In addition to this, five-six such cases were diagnosed where patients were undergoing treatment for Covid and when their TB test was done, they were found positive. They were unaware of their TB status. The government has made it mandatory to test all TB patients for Covid and vice-versa,” said Dr Chawla. “TB and Covid have overlapping symptoms and that is the reason the tests were made compulsory,” he said.
The patients mostly belong to urban and semi-urban areas and also include the migratory population. Urban population is more vulnerable to the disease because of more population. People working in tight compartments with no proper ventilation and unhygienic conditions are also vulnerable, he added.
Ensure proper ventilation: Doctor
The TB patients mostly belong to urban and semi-urban areas and also include the migratory population. Urban population is more vulnerable to the disease because of more population. People working in tight compartments with no proper ventilation and unhygienic conditions are also vulnerable, said Dr Ashish Chawla, Ludhiana District TB Officer
