Ganjam sees rise in TB deaths, docs blame Covid

Berhampur: Ganjam has seen a rise in deaths due to tuberculosis for the past few years. As many as 289 patients died of the disease in 2021, 288 in 2020 and 262 in 2019 despite a decrease in fresh cases each year.
“The deaths due to tuberculosis have increased owing to the Covid-19 pandemic,” district tuberculosis officer Abani Kumar Patra said, on the sidelines of a meeting here to observe World TB Day on Thursday.Several TB patients contracted Covid-19 owing to their weak immunity. Some among them succumbed to the disease. This led to a rise in TB deaths in the district in the last two years, he said.
Sources said fewer new TB cases (5,469) were detected in the district in 2021 compared to 5600 cases in 2020. The number of HIV patients with TB also added to the fresh case count. At present, as many as 172 patients detected with TB have HIV as well.
“The large number of migrant workers in the district are potential carriers of TB apart from AIDS,” Patra said, adding that they have adopted some innovative measures to create greater awareness. “We have appointed 42 TB survivors to inform and educate people about the disease and ways to prevent it, to counsel the patients and to ensure the timely administration of medicines,” he said.