Srinagar, Bla, Jmu districts major focus under ongoing TB campaign

Srinagar, Dec 08: In Jammu and Kashmir three aspirational districts that include Srinagar, Baramulla and Jammu are a major focus of an ongoing nation-wide intensified campaign on Tuberculosis (TB) elimination in Jammu and Kashmir that aims to end TB by 2025.
Notably, on December 08, the Health Department Kashmir launched the nation-wide 100 days of intensified campaign on TB elimination at Kashmir Skill & Simulation Centre, RIHFW, Dhobiwan under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).
This year, 347 districts across 33 States/UTs have been selected based on indicators such as death rate, presumptive TB examination rate, and incidence rate as compared to the national average. This campaign is designed to strengthen programmatic activities to improve TB outcomes across the country.
State Tuberculosis Officer Kashmir Division, Dr Adfar Qadri said in Kashmir valley they are focussing on three aspirational districts that include Srinagar, Baramulla and Jammu to target TB elimination by 2025.
“This campaign holds great importance as TB is not only a health issue but also a major social and economic burden, particularly affecting the most vulnerable segments of our society,” she said.
During the intensified campaign, health teams will are conducting active case findings by visiting high-risk and vulnerable populations, including malnourished individuals, diabetic, smokers, cancer patients, tribal communities and other at-risk groups.
“The goal is to detect TB cases early, raise awareness about its symptoms, prevention, and treatment and provide continuous medical and psychological support to ensure successful recovery,” the official said.
Dr Adfar said out of the ten districts in the valley, five districts that include Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian have already been declared TB-free.
“Three districts that include Srinagar, Ganderbal and Kupwara, have already received Gold certification under the Sub-National Certification and Baramulla and Bandipora have got bronze certification. UT Jammu and Kashmir has got Bronze,” she said.
“This year, we have achieved a 70 percent target. Testing has been increased and we are using modern testing methods like molecular testing that help in diagnosis,” she said.
The health teams have stressed the importance of ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against TB and striving for a TB-free India.
She also stated that the nutritional support provided to patients through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.
Officials also said the valley has witnessed a decline in tuberculosis cases over the past three years owing to the extended testing and screening measures.
According to data from the Health Department Kashmir, there were 3,439 cases reported in 2021, followed by 3,396 cases in 2022, and a total of 2,956 cases have been reported in 2023.
Doctors said the directorate has initiated treatment of latent TB infection and is working to identify contacts of infected patients, which can significantly curb the spread of the disease.
The Health Ministry has set a target of reducing the incidence of new TB cases by 80 percent to end TB by 2025 while efforts toward TB elimination vary across States/Districts.