By Nisar Dharma
Srinagar, Mar 24: The twin capitals of the state have witnessed the highest incidence of tuberculosis cases in 2017, even as the overall prevalence of the disease has increased by about 5 per cent compared to the preceding year.
As per TB report 2018 compiled by the Government of India’s Health Ministry, the cases in the state have gone up from 9,937 in 2016 to 10,476 in 2017.
At 2,949, the winter capital, Jammu, registered the highest number of the patients, followed by 1,421 in Srinagar.
Next in line are Udhampur (1,163), Anantnag (707), Doda (752), Kathua (646), Rajouri (511), Baramulla (489), Kupwara (475), and Pulwama (407).
The number of deaths too has seen a jump, with the records showing that 368 of the cases detected in 2016 have died.
In 2014 and 2015, the number of deaths caused by TB stood at 290 and 279, respectively.
In J&K, the report showed, 74 per one lakh people suffer from the disease—a figure way better than the national average of 211 but way higher than the proposed target of 43 persons per one lakh population.
Around 7 per cent, or 733 cases, in 2017 were of pediatric tuberculosis, wherein the children have become infected.
The report also revealed that 30 per cent of the cases in the state had extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in which, rather than patients’ lungs, organs like bone, brain and spine get affected by the disease.
The figure placed J&K among the top 10 states where the percentage of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis has been more than the national average of 18 per cent.
The report did not specify the reasons for high incidence of TB in the state’s capital cities when the disease is generally perceived to have more prevalence in rural areas.
State TB Officer, Dr Showkat Ali Looloo, told The Kashmir Monitor that “it could be because many people are migrating to cities”.
On increased deaths, he said that for Kashmir the mortality rate was “2 per cent or even lower”.
The National Strategic Plan (2017-2025), which is implemented in J&K as well, aims to achieve eradication of TB by year 2025.
It aims to attain 80 per cent reduction in TB incidence, from the current 211 people per lakh to 43 per lakh.
The other target is that of reducing the current mortality of 32 persons per one lakh population to 3 persons per one lakh.
