Bhopal, Apr 9: The cure rate of TB patients in the state has gone up to 85 per cent. Before implementation of National Revised TB Control Programme, the cure rate of TB was only 30 per cent. The state has also succeeded in achieving the target set by the Union government.

Similarly, the rate of identifying TB patients has gone up to 127 per lakh per year while the sputum conversion rate has risen to 88 per cent. In all, 3,10,180 patients have been detected under National Revised TB Control Programme out of which 1.74 lakh patients have been completely cured. The programme was launched in the state in November 1998 which was implemented in all the 48 districts in the year 2004.

Earlier, treatment was undertaken with the help of traditional system of medicine which took 12 to 18 months for complete cure. Under this system cure rate was 43 while the death rate was 29. With this in view, National Revised TB Control Programme was launched with the help of World Bank. Now, a patient gets completely cured in six to eights month through new system of treatment which is called DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short course).

Under this programme, a patient is called by the physician thrice in the first two months and every week during the next four months. The patient is administered TB medicines by the health worker himself. Adoption of new method of treatment has led to increase in cure rate from 30 to 85 percent.

Under this programme, there is one TB unit on every five lakh population and one microscopy centre on every one lakh population while in tribal districts there is one TB unit on every two and a half lakh population and one microscopy centre on every 50,000 population. One DOTS centre has been established on every five thousand population at sub-health centre level and three thousand population in tribal-predominant areas.

Thus, 142 TB units and 714 microscopy centres have been established in the state so far while there are 14,757 DOTS centres where free treatment is being given to patients. In all, there are five lakh TB patients in the state.

Main symptoms

Continuous coughing for three months

Light fever

Rise in fever in the evening

Blood comes out with sputum

Loss of appetite

Loss of weight

Salient features

Patients' cure rate 85 per cent

Detection rate of patients

127 per lakh per year

Sputum conversion rate 88 per cent

3,10,180 patients detected