Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Context:

A significant trial has highlighted how nutritional supplementation can greatly reduce the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) disease.

About Tuberculosis:

  • Caused by – Bacterium [Mycobacterium tuberculosis]
  • It most often affects lungs (Pulmonary TB) but can affect other sites.
  • Medications – Isoniazid, Rifampin, Ethambutol, Pyrazinamide, Bedaquiline etc.
  • Licensed vaccine – Bacillle Calmette-Guerin (BCG)
  • Diagnosis – Rapid molecular diagnostic tests, Sputum smear microscopy and Chest X-rays.
  • Symptoms – Prolonged cough, chest pain, weakness/fatigue, weight loss, fever, etc.
  • Transmission – Person to person through air.

Steps taken to eliminate Tuberculosis

India’s efforts:

  • National Strategic Plan (NSP), 2017-2025: To eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG 2030 target.
  • National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP): Earlier, it was known as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).
  • NIKSHAY Portal: National TB information system to manage patient information and monitor program activity throughout the country.
  • NIKSHAY Poshan Yojana: Provides DBT to all TB patients towards nutritional support.
    • Initiated by – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
    • Funding – Government of India with World Bank.
  • TB Free India Campaign launched by Prime Minister to eliminate TB by 2025.
  • ‘PathoDetect™ kit’, by Pune based Mylab: India’s 1st indigenous TB Detection kit – Single test can detect tuberculosis and MDR TB.

Global efforts:

  • Moscow Declaration, 2017: To increase multisectoral action and enhance accountability towards ending TB by 2030.
  • WHO End TB Strategy: To reduce TB incidence by80%, TB deaths by 90%, and to eliminate catastrophic costs for TB-affected households by 2030.
  • Find. Treat. All. #EndTB: It is the joint Initiative of WHO, Stop TB Partnership, and Global Fund to diagnose treat and report 40 million people with TB.

What is BPaL?

  • BPaL (Short anti-TB regimen) has shown favourable outcomes in TB patients.
  • A 6-month, all-oral, 3-drug regimen that is used to treat people with highly drug resistant forms of TB.
  • Combination of 3 newer antibiotics – bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid.
  • TB Alliance’s BPaL regimen to reduce TB treatment time from 18 months to 6 months.
  • TB Alliance is not-for-profit organization.

Source: The Hindu


Previous Year Questions

H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]

(a) AIDS

(b) Bird flu

(c) Dengue

(d) Swine flu


Consider the following diseases

  1. Diphtheria
  2. Chickenpox
  3. Smallpox

Which of the above diseases has/have been eradicated in India?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) None


Practice Question

With reference to Tuberculosis (TB), consider the following statements:

  1. TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  2. There is no vaccine for the treatment of Tuberculosis.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

 
 
 
 

Question 1 of 1

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