Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Apr 21: As the focus and attention shifts towards the management of COVID-19, silently, a drop in the notification of Tuberculosis (TB) cases has been witnessed across Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the data available, there has been a sudden drop in the reporting of cases across the Union Territory. More so, soon after the Kashmir reported its first COVID-19 positive case in March, the decrease has been witnessed.
The numbers reveal that from January 1 to February 1 this year, a total number of 1058 cases of TB were reported across districts in J&K. The number included 952 cases reported from public health facilities, while as 106 such cases reported from private health facilities.
However, the number of TB cases reported across J&K appears to have dramatically fallen from March l8 until April 18. During the period, a total of just 382 cases of TB have been reported across J&K. Out of these, 31 cases were reported from district Srinagar, whileas 118 cases were reported from district Jammu.
With a lack of infrastructure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the TB care and the notification of cases appears to have taken a hit as the healthcare system appears to have become COVID centric.
The numbers present a bleak picture for the period of 21-day lockdown which started from March 24 till April 14—later extended as a part of lockdown 2.0.
During the period, a total of 202 cases were reported across J&K districts, with Jammu leading in the list by reporting 50 cases and Srinagar reporting 21 cases.
An official in the Health Department told Excelsior that notification of TB cases is pivotal in ensuring proper treatment to those who are dealing with the disease—while also helping in monitoring the overall treatment plan of the patient.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Government has pushed in entire manpower and a major chunk of healthcare infrastructure to deal with the crisis that have emerged out of the spread of COVID-19.
The doctors told Excelsior that the Government should not act as if the COVID-19 is the only disease. “It should rather put in place a mechanism to deal with major diseases including that of TB—leaving the disease unattended that make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection,” a doctor said.
He also said that, as per figures, the TB kills around 1200 people per day across the country, indicating that it is something that cannot be ignored at this point in time. ”The cases being underreported for various reasons can prove detrimental in the long run,” he said.
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