A team of health experts that visited Ballari recently on the directions of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for getting firsthand information on the prevalence of tuberculosis, has alerted the administration about the high rate of tuberculosis deaths in the district.
The team was headed by Dr. Tarak Shah and comprised Dr. Suresh Shastri, Dr. Shazia Wafai, Dr. Gulfam Ahmed Hashmi, Dr. Nischit and Dr. Devigan. They visited various hospitals across the undivided Ballari district for three days last week and collected information from hospital authorities, patients and their relatives.
It found that 247 people had died of tuberculosis in the last nine months. Ballari taluk accounted for 93 deaths followed by Siruguppa (34) and Hospet (33). As many as 451 persons had succumbed to the disease in 2019 and 372 persons in 2020. The less number of tuberculosis deaths in 2021 is attributed to the COVID-19 lockdowns, and precautions like wearing face mask and maintaining social distancing.
The team found that as many as 3,407 persons had been infected, 1,170 were cured after treatment while 1,789 persons were getting treatment in various health facilities across the undivided Ballari district. The team could not trace 24 patients.
On October 25, the team apprised Deputy Commissioner Pavan Kumar Malapati, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K.R. Nandini, District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr. H.L. Janardhan and other senior officers, and gave suggestion for control of the disease. They told the officers that the tuberculosis death rate in the district is 7.2% while the national average is 5%, and asked the administration to take measures to bring down the number of deaths. According to sources, the team stressed on the need for community involvement for early detection of the disease and commencement of treatment.
The team is expected to submit its report to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shortly.
