Healthcare
TB Awareness Run Flagged Off on World Tuberculosis day
By PIB
Mar 24, 2005, 17:36

The Union Health & Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss today flagged off a TB Awareness Run by children at the National Stadium here today. Speaking on the occasion, he congratulated the children for participating in this TB awareness programme. He said, there was a need to reach the message that TB is curable and it can be cured in a short time, to the general public especially the rural people living in our country.

Tuberculosis is a major health problem in India and 50 per cent of HIV patients have become prone to TB. India accounts for 1/5th of the global TB incidents and is estimated to have the highest number of active TB cases. Under the Revised National TB Control Programme, a lot of emphasis is being made on creating awareness. The awareness run for TB on the occasion of World TB Day is another initiative in this direction.

The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister is fully committed to control TB. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) is an application in India of the WHO recommended Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy to control TB. This is being implemented with the objective of curing at least 85% of new sputum positive TB patients and detecting at least 70% of such patients. The strategy has proven successful.

RNTCP has made great progress and 87% of the country�s population has access to DOTS services. The entire country will have access to DOTS services by June 2005. In the year 2003, more than 9 lakh patients were initiated into the treatment. About 12 lakh patients have been initiated into the treatment during 2004. Success rate amongst the new smear positive cases has been 86%.


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