[ad_1]
The ‘Tuberculosis aftermath (TB Aftermath)’ study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, USA, and Dr DY Patil Medical College, Hospital & Research Center (DPU), Pimpri, in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program Tuberculosis (NTEP), found that TB patients and their family members face challenges and stigma even beyond a TB cure, officials said.
On March 24, World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated.
Without sufficient scientific information on which active case finding (ACF) technique is most effective among TB survivors and their household contacts, the TB Aftermath project began in January 2021.
Under the program, 1,076 tuberculosis survivors were included in post-treatment along with their family contact who followed them meticulously for 18 months. The study was carried out in six public tuberculosis units (3 urban and 3 rural): PMC Hospital in Sahakarnagar, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), Jijamata Hospital; and public health centers in Paud, Maval and Khed.
Dr Prashant Bothe, municipal tuberculosis officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said the recommendations of the study are useful for implementation in the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).
“Based on the recommendations of the study, IEC activities are planned and implemented to improve the outcome of the program.”
The study findings will be presented at the World Union’s World Conference on Lung Health in 2025.
The ongoing TB Aftermath study was carried out under the direction of Dr Madhusudan Barthwal, Professor and Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at DPU and supervised by Dr AL Kakrani, Director of Academic Collaborations and Professor of Clinical Eminence, and has been instrumental in unraveling the complexities surrounding TB. and its consequences.
The study in collaboration with NTEP also compares two ACF strategies, actual home visits every 6 months and telephone follow-up every 6 months.
Dr. Barthwal said critical issues were initially found, such as TB-related stigma among survivors, lung deficiencies in pulmonary TB survivors, and hazardous alcohol consumption among active TB patients.
“TB-related stigma is considered to be the main problem faced by TB patients during treatment. However, we found that some of the factors driving TB-related stigma go beyond curing TB and cause problems for TB patients and their households.”
Furthermore, he said: “We found that tuberculosis survivors prefer to hide their history because they feel it may affect their social status and reduce the marriage prospects of themselves or their children. This mainly affects girls and their parents, as disclosure of tuberculosis history can create problems in getting married or affect married life. Although experienced stigma has reduced, self-stigma and perceived stigma were primarily observed among TB survivors,” she said.
Dr. Kakrani suggested that TB-related stigma needs to be effectively addressed as it remains a threat to TB survivors, especially women. “Effective information, education and communication (IEC) materials and strategies will help reduce post-TB stigma. They should cover issues beyond the clinical aspects of tuberculosis, mainly psychosocial and stigma-related. As TB survivors are at higher risk of developing TB again, their acceptance and adherence to TB services will improve and result in better outcomes,” Kakrani said.
Comprehensive findings from the study will be presented at the World Union Lung Health Conference in 2025 and will inform future strategies for the management of tuberculosis and its ramifications, offering hope for improved outcomes and reduced burden for individuals and communities. affected.