Puducherry, July 4 (IANS) Puducherry will be free from tuberculosis (TB) as early as possible, compared to national goals, Lt Governor K. Kailashnathan said on Friday.

India aims to eradicate TB — the deadliest infectious disease globally — in 2025, five years ahead of the global target.

Speaking to IANS, Kailashnathan said that the Union Territory has made significant progress in eradicating TB.

“Puducherry has made substantial progress as far as the eradication of TB is concerned, and even though this goal has to be achieved by 2030 (globally), I think we will achieve it earlier…,” the LG said.

He informed that the small district of Mahe is free of TB already.

“In Mahe, there are absolutely no TB patients. I hope the remaining parts of the Puducherry will also be totally free from tuberculosis shortly,” Kailashnathan said.

He attributed the success in Puducherry to better medical facilities, giving people more access to better treatments, and education making people more aware.

“We have seven TB units, 28 diagnostic centres, and one Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL). Notably, this lab was recognised as India’s best IRL last year. It is equipped with molecular testing and gene sequencing facilities, making it one of the world-class diagnostic centres,” DM Kulothungan A. told media reporters.

He also mentioned molecular testing facilities, gene sequencing facilities in the UT, and called them “world-class testing facilities” that are enabling Puducherry to fight TB.

In addition, the “door-to-door TB screening programme is helping find active cases. We are identifying the vulnerable population and screening them with the help of all the stakeholders, like government doctors, private medical colleges, and other volunteers,” Kulothungan said.

“We have very good treatment facilities at government and private hospitals as well as high follow-up” on patients — the reasons behind the success of TB eradication in the UT.

“In 98 per cent of cases, we are able to achieve success in the TB treatment. For less than 2 per cent of patients, we are unable to follow up we were due to migration of the patients,” Kulothungan said.

A significant example of follow-up is the UT’s “Family Adoption Programme”.

“Puducherry is the first state to include screening for TB patients under the initiative of the ‘Family Adoption Programme,” said Dr. Kavita Vasudevan, Head of Community Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Puducherry.

Under this programme, “medical students adopt families as part of their community outreach. When medical students adopt a family, they also screen all members of the family for TB”.

“If any member of the adopted family is found to have symptoms of TB, the students assist with both diagnosis and treatment,” she added.

The NMC has made it mandatory for medical students to adopt 3 to 5 families and follow up with them for three years.

–IANS

rvt/vd