Kerala TB Elimination Mission is launching the third phase of its TB elimination campaign, “Akshaya Keralam” or a people’s movement against TB campaign on Friday.
Health Minister K.K. Shylaja will launch the Akshaya Keralam campaign online.
Akshaya Keralam is being launched as a “catch-up campaign” to pick up those “missing” cases of TB from the community, which went under the Health Department’s radar during the COVID-19 epidemic in the State.
COVID-19 has posed great challenges to TB Elimination efforts, especially in early detection. Difficult access, stigma to respiratory symptoms and competing priorities has led to a reduction in TB case detection.
Despite its best efforts to ensure all TB services even during COVID epidemic, the Health Department estimates that approximately 1,500 TB cases might be remaining undiagnosed in the community.a Keralam, which envisages 10 major action plans for the coming months in various directions, is to remind healthcare providers that a case of persistent cough that comes before them during the COVID season could also be TB
