Karnataka Health Minister Dr K. Sudhakar on Tuesday announced a special tuberculosis (TB) test drive in the state for people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection. The drive, which will be held till August 31, is expected to help evaluate post-Covid complications in people who have recovered from the disease.
"Karnataka has more than 28 lakh people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection. Since both COVID-19 and TB infect the lungs, we have launched this special drive to ensure early detection of TB," said the minister, adding that people should voluntarily get tested as early detection would help in effective treatment of tuberculosis.
Admitting that the TB testing had slowed down due to the pandemic, Dr Sudhakar said, "Since 2017, we have seen 75 lakh suspected cases of TB. But only 88 per cent of patients have been tested. Of this, 3.9 per cent have been detected with TB. The pandemic has affected the detection of cases.” He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out a vision to make India free from TB by 2025 and the state government is working towards this goal.
'Arogya Nandana scheme for kids'
Preparing for a possible third wave of COVID-19, which is likely to affect the non-vaccinated population, especially children, the Karnataka government has planned to launch a new initiative "Arogya Nandana" where nearly 1.5 crore children across the state will be subject to COVID-19 testing to identify those with high risk factors like co-morbidities.
"The chief minister will launch the programme to identify children with lower immunity and co-morbidities. The children will be provided with nutritious food and supplements to boost immunity and their health will be closely monitored," said Sudhakar.
The state government has set December 2021 as deadline to accomplish total vaccination of the eligible adult population in the state.
"By December we hope to innoculate the entire eligible adult population in the state. I will soon visit Delhi to seek additional supply of vaccines. The private sector can procure 25% of the total vaccine production. We are exploring the possibility of corporate companies procuring vaccines under CSR and providing it to state government. This will significantly accelerate the vaccination drive," said the minister.
Responding to the incident of a Mangaluru couple committing suicide allegedly fearing COVID-19, the minister called it "unfortunate" and urged people not to panic. "People should not panic if they are infected. COVID-19 is curable and lakhs of people have recovered," said Sudhakar.
