Governor Dr KK Paul while unveiling the 68th TB Seal at Raj Bhawan on Saturday said that an amount of Rs one lakh would be given to the TB Association of Uttarakhand. He said that the people must be made more aware of the disease to stamp it out from the State.
“They should be made aware so that they can recognise the early symptoms of TB,” he said, adding that the people inhabiting the remotest areas of the State should be made aware of what TB is and what its symptoms are. The TB Association presented its report before the Governor on Saturday. Present on the occasion were Poonam Kimothi, general secretary of the TB Association of Uttarakhand and its treasurer GD Chokiyal.
A state government official said that Uttarakhand has taken up a target to make the state free from Tuberculosis by 2025.
Observers, however, opine that unavailability of health infrastructure in the hills and lifestyle disorders negate the effect of medicines to curb TB. Besides, smoking and drinking dilute the impact of medicines.
“What is more, most of the patients afflicted with TB are finding it tough to complete the six-month course. They do not care to follow up with checkups,” a doctor based in Dehradun said. He further said that the most important symptom of TB is persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks. Blood coming out during the cough, loss of weight, high temperature (fever), fatigue, loss of appetite and swellings in the neck are among the other symptoms of the
disease.
“If treated from the early stage the patients can be fully cured. However, they must follow the physicals’ instructions even after they are apparently cured, something that they rarely do, particularly those living in the remote hill areas which are generally bereft of the adequate medical infrastructure,” the doctor said.