7 Reasons – TB Is a Real Risk for You And you’re Family
Did you know that India has the highest number of TB patients globally,with 28 lakh diagnosed in 2016, and an Indian succumbing to TB every five minutes?
Here are some lesser-known facts about TB that you should be aware of:
Fact 1: Almost 40% of India’s population has Latent TB (LTB)
Fact 2: It’s air-borne – every cough of a TB patient releases millions of infectious droplets. Thus, when it spreads, TB spares no one!
Fact 3: Besides the lungs, TB can affect any organ in the body – bones, brain, intestines, lymph nodes, or skin
Fact 4: There are 1.3 lakh multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases in India – where patients don’t respond to first-line drugs- for which treatment is very expensive.
Fact 5: Tuberculosis is a root cause of infection that results in infertility among 25-30% of women in India
Fact 6: Almost 10% of total TB cases in India are among children, but only 6% are reported.
Fact 7: HIV and Diabetes increase the risk of contracting Tuberculosis (TB)
HIV weakens the immune system, increasing susceptibility to TB11. In 2016, there were 87,000 new HIV-TB cases2 and India ranked second worldwide.
In 45% cases, TB was diagnosed after the onset of diabetes; 25% vice-versa, and 20% together.
The Good News
While these numbers sound alarming, there is a lot you can do to lower the risk of TB for you and your loved ones. It is advisable to get regular check-ups as early diagnosis can help cure TB.
Consult your doctor to know more about early diagnosis of TB.
Call our national Customer Care at 011 – 39885050 for TB testing.
