Bhopal: Twenty-seven people have tested positive for tuberculosis in the last two days in Bhopal, sending shockwaves in the health administration.The grim detection was made during an 'active case finding' (ACF) initiative launched by the health department in the state capital. ACF is an important component of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, (RNTCP) of the government.Detected of these previously unregistered cases highlights the need for better screening, detection and treatment of the infectious disease, said an official. Madhya Pradesh is among the few states where 10% of children are diagnosed with TB — the national average is 6%. A fifth of the TB notifications came from private sector in 2016. However, reporting for TB from private sector is considered low in MP.The ACF drive will continue, say officials. "Systematic identification of people with suspected active TB is the aim of ACF," said state TB officer and joint director health Dr Atul Kharate. Around 115 teams comprising 400 people have been deployed for ACF in Bhopal. As many as 13,271 were screened and 1,077 suspects were tested for TB in just two days, say officials.In MP, 82 cases of drug resistant TB strain were detected in 2016, as per national TB report. And 9% of 755 MDR-TB or multidrug resistant TB cases defaulted in 2016. In 2014, in a study by MP Voluntary Health Association, it was found that the economic cost of TB and respiratory diseases amounted to Rs 122 crore a year.Many patients do not reach out for the completely free treatment and testing due to stigma. Worryingly, this includes many women of marriage age, said an official.WHO defines tuberculosis as a disease that remains an epidemic, causing several million deaths each year, mostly in the third world. TB can be treated at various stages given proper intervention and minimalistic intervention.

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