Over three lakh people were screened in Tiruchi district and more than 1,000 cases of tuberculosis (TB) detected at the end of the 100-day campaign to raise awareness and detection of the disease, the authorities said.
The drive, inaugurated on December 7, 2024 as part of the ‘Ni-kshay Shivir’ nationwide initiative, was conducted by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. It targeted 347 districts throughout India as part of the ‘TB-Mukt Bharat’ programme to end tuberculosis and ended on March 17.
According to official figures, 3,10,753 people in vulnerable sections of society were screened during the campaign in Tiruchi district, out of a mapped population of 3,29,497. A total of 1,032 new cases of TB were diagnosed.
“‘Ni-kshay Shivir has been successful in raising awareness about TB among the masses, and also helped identify cases at an early stage. We hope it will motivate medical practitioners and the general public as well, to report the disease early so as to improve the chances of complete cure,” Deputy Director of Medical Services – TB S. Savithri told The Hindu. She said 12,252 people had undergone the nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and 12,501 had been tested for microscopy.
Published – March 20, 2025 05:13 pm IST
By
