Covid recoveries should voluntarily test for TB: Karnataka Health Minister
To screen Karnataka kids who are vulnerable to Covid, ‘Arogya Nandana’ programme will cover 1.5 crore children: Dr Sudhakar
BENGALURU:
Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has urged Covid-recovered people and their family members to voluntarily get evaluated for TB (tuberculosis).
He was speaking at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday after launching a special statewide TB test drive which will be conducted from August 16 to 31.
“We have initiated a special drive to evaluate post-Covid complications in people who have recovered from the infection. There are more than 28 lakh people in the state who have recovered from the infection. Since both Covid-19 and TB infect the lungs, we have launched this special drive to ensure early detection of TB in people who have recovered from Covid,” said the Minister.
People who have recovered from Covid-19 should voluntarily get themselves evaluated for TB. If it is detected at an early stage, treatment will be easier, he added.
PM’s TB-free vision
Since 2017, 75 lakh suspected TB cases have been identified and 88% of them have been tested. About 3.9% have been detected with TB. Due to the Covid pandemic, the TB evaluation drives have been slightly affected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward a vision to make India free from TB by 2025 and the Karnataka state government is working towards this goal, the Minister said.
Food aid for weaker kids
“Since there are fears that children may be predominantly affected during the third wave of Covid-19, we have decided to launch a new initiative called ‘Arogya Nandana’. There are about 1.5 crore children in the state and all of them will be subjected to testing under this initiative, which will be launched by the CM soon. Under this programme, children with poor immunity and other comorbidities will be identified and provided with nutritious food and supplements. All precautionary measures will be taken to monitor their health,” Dr Sudhakar said.
In order to ensure early detection of possible post-covid complications, a special TB diagnosis drive will be held from Aug 16 – Aug 31 across the state. About 28 lakh people who have recovered from Covid-19 infection and their family members will be evaluated for Tuberculosis. pic.twitter.com/AFL7if5UqX
— Dr Sudhakar K (@mla_sudhakar) August 17, 2021
Additional vaccines sought
“We have set an ambitious target to fully inoculate the entire eligible adult population in the state by December. I will soon visit Delhi to seek additional supplies of vaccine to our state. The private sector can procure 25% of the vaccine production. We are in discussions with corporates to explore the possibility of companies procuring vaccines under their CSR and providing these to the state government. This will significantly accelerate the vaccination drive,” the Minister said.
Terming ‘unfortunate’ the reported suicides of some Covid patients in Mangaluru, Dr Sudhakar urged people not to panic if they test positive. “Covid-19 is curable and lakhs of people have recovered,” he said.
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