Puducherry TB screening: Door-to-door active case finding drives help slash incidence by 59% compared to 2015 levels
'I tested positive for TB and later even my husband tested positive,' she said. The two are currently under treatment and are receiving monetary and nutritional support under the TB-elimination programme.
'In a bid to curb community transmission and bring down the incidence of TB, Puducherry has been conducting door-to-door active case finding drives that especially focus on vulnerable populations who might not display TB symptoms or worse don't have the time, access or knowledge to seek medical care,' explained S. Govindarajan, mission director, Puducherry State Health Society (PSHS).
He added that the idea behind the door-to-door campaign is to catch the vulnerable, at-risk patients who may be suffering without treatment and unknowingly becoming spreaders of TB.
'The idea is to ensure that no one is left behind and that nobody suffers without treatment and care. We have realised that the battle against TB needs us to ensure that patients get quicker and more accurate tests which translates into saving treatment time and saving lives,' he said.
Puducherry is on a fast track toward TB elimination, as eight of its villages were declared TB-Free this World TB Day (2025) — Sivaranthagam, Ariyur (N), Vathanur, Soriyankuppam, Kudiyirupupalaym, Pooranankuppam, Sembipalayam and Korkadu. C. Venkatesh, State TB officer added that Puducherry has slashed its TB incidence by 59% compared to 2015 levels.
'All suspected cases are screened using modern diagnostic tools – AI-enabled chest X-rays and NAAT. The door-to-door active case finding drives specially focus on vulnerable populations who might not display TB symptoms,'' he said.
He added that since the Union Territory is also seeing a rise in cases of diabetes and its association with TB patients are being educated and taught to monitor the condition. Diabetes is known to increases the risk of TB.
Meanwhile, speaking about the implementation of the Ni-kshay Mitra programme launched in September 2022 where the State TB Cell has mobilised community members to provide nutritional baskets to TB patients Dr. Venkatesh added that through 241 Ni-kshay Mitras, or donors, Puducherry has distributed over 12,609 nutritional baskets to TB patients, ensuring treatment adherence and recovery.
'As a result, more than 85% patients receive at least three food baskets through the course of their treatment – thus enhancing their recovery. This initiative complements the DBT scheme — Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana whereby patients are paid ₹1,000 per month as nutritional support through the course of their treatment. Here also in Puducherry 85% beneficiaries receiving all their entitlements,'' he added.
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As per the competency-based medical education curriculum for undergraduate students, the National Medical Council (NMC) had mandated all medical colleges to follow Family Adoption Programme (FAP), wherein a medical student adopts three to five families, once he joins the course and periodically follows them up till the completion of the course for holistic care. 'Medical colleges of Puducherry had utilised this opportunity to tap these medical students as a resource to screen the adopted family members for tuberculosis. The state supports this initiative by provision of sputum transport and diagnostic services. This first-of-the-kind model had been well received in scientific forums for its scalable nature and utilising of medical students as a manpower for screening for tuberculosis, given the backdrop of areas where there is scarcity of resources,' Dr Govindarajan said. 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Students who had opted for tuberculosis elimination activities supported the campaign by devising unique models for sensitising the community on respiratory hygiene and flipcharts regarding importance of nutrition in tuberculosis, Dr Govindarajan said. The IGMCRI, the government medical college, in association with the State TB office and NTEP State Task Force, had conducted 'Run for a cause' – a five-km marathon for doctors, medical paramedical students, 'TB Tales' – a reels competition for college students, and 'Brush Away TB' – a mega painting competition for school students. The support of medical colleges in elimination of tuberculosis in Puducherry has been well appreciated in various forums for which the Puducherry State Task Force had twice consecutively been awarded as the best performing State Task Force at the Zonal level review meeting by the central TB division, Dr Govindrajan said. PTI PLB MNK MNK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
