Tuberculosis
is the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease.
Worldwide, 2 million people die of TB
annually, and 7 million to 8 million new TB cases are diagnosed
each year.
The
incidence of Tuberculosis has been increasing in India over
the past several years as a result of the rapid spread of
HIV. 1,000 people die every day due to this
disease. To combat this growing problem, in 2004, a TB program
was started with the collaboration of the government in the
rural and semi-urban areas around both the Rehabilitation
Home and the Hospital.
Modern
anti-TB treatment can cure virtually all patients. It
is, however, very important that treatment be taken for the
prescribed duration, which in every case is a minimum of 6
months. Because treatment is of such a long duration and patients
feel better after just 1-2 months, and because many TB patients
face other problems such as poverty and unemployment, treatment
is often interrupted.*
In
order for the the program to be effective, SRH provides medication
at no cost, as long as patients agree to have the medicines
administered directly by clinic personnel.**
For more information
visit www.sivanandarehab.org.
*TBC
India, www.tbcindia.org/RNTCP.asp
**WHO-recommended
Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy
was launched formally as Revised National TB Control programme
in India in 1997. Since then DOTS has been widely advocated
and successfully applied.
