State to launch survey to identify TB cases

The department of health and family welfare is taking up a case-finding campaign to better the identification process for tuberculosis cases in the state.

Active Case Finding (ACF) or Intensive case finding (ICF) is a provider-initiated activity with the primary objective of detecting TB cases early by active case finding in targeted groups and to initiate treatment promptly. It targets people who anyway have sought health care, with or without symptoms or signs of TB, and also people who do not seek care, according to the department.

Officials confirmed that the state has identified 45,000 cases of tuberculosis in the state this year alone. Out of these, 1,300 cases are drug-resistant. In 2018, 82,550 patients were notified, amounting to a case notification rate of 123 patients per lakh per year.

Over the years, it was observed that although the Revised National Tuberculosis goals were achieved, the reporting of cases had come down and it was noticed that not all having symptoms were undergoing treatment. The state does not do well even in terms of the success rate of treatment as per the recent Health Index 2019, which was released by the NITI Ayog.

The treatment success rate has come down from 84.7% to 79.7% in the state, according to the report. An official from the department of health explained, "There are two aspects to the issue. It is with regard to patients with only tuberculosis and those with other illnesses such as HIV/Aids."

The department, however, says that in Karnataka, the success rate is as high as 84% among new cases, with tuberculosis alone and 70% with co-infection.