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 1^st 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

(d) Swine flu

Consider the following diseases

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

(d) None

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