Faces of tuberculosis: a riveting exploration into demographics and health profiles of patients in rural Jharkhand

Putul Bagti; Bharath Jagadeesh; Neelima Tirkey

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20240908

Authors

Putul Bagti Public Health, Tata Steel Foundation, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India
Bharath Jagadeesh Public Health, Tata Steel Foundation, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India
Neelima Tirkey Public Health, Tata Steel Foundation, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20240908

Keywords:

Tuberculosis, Tribal populations, Nikshay Mitra, DOTS center

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis is a pressing health concern in Jharkhand, India, claiming 13,000 lives annually. This retrospective study, conducted by Tata steel foundation, delves into the health and sociodemographic profiles of TB patients in the tribal-dominated East Singhbhum district. Noteworthy findings include risk factors such as Anaemia, Diabetes compounded by challenges like limited access to health facilities. TSF's initiatives, including Nikshay Mitra and support for NTEP, are crucial components in addressing TB in the region.

Methods: A retrospective study (September to November 2023) analyzed records from TSF's DOTS centre in East Singhbhum. Data from 2019-2023 were extracted and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: The average age of 293 patients was 37.36±14.97 years, with 83.6% belonging to Scheduled Tribes. Sputum analysis revealed a 61.4% positive rate for Acid Fast Bacillus. Notably, 85.3% completed treatment, and abnormal chest radiographs were observed in 99.3% of cases.

Conclusions: The proposed way forward outlines actionable strategies to further strengthen TB awareness, focus on challenging districts, engage communities, and collaborate with government health centers. Regular research and monitoring, coupled with periodic impact assessments, will be crucial for adapting and refining interventions in alignment with the dynamic landscape of TB prevalence.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Kulkarni P, Kudale A, Arasu K, Lab M, Darby W, Rangan S. Tuberculosis knowledge and awareness in tribal-dominant districts of Jharkhand, India: implications for ACSM. Public Health Action. 2014; 4(3):189-94.

Hussain T, Tripathy SS, Das S, Satapathy P, Das D. Prevalence, risk factors and health seeking behaviour of pulmonary tuberculosis in four tribal dominated districts of Odisha: Comparison with studies in other regions of India. Plos One. 2020;15(4):e0227083.

Varshney K, Patel H, Kamal S. Trends in Tuberculosis Mortality Across India: Improvements Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cureus. 2023; 15(4):e38313.

Help eliminate TB by becoming a Nikshay Mitra Meghalaya. Available at: https://meghalaya.gov.in/ sites/default/files/press_release/Nikshay_Mitra.pdf. Accessed on 31 January 2024.

Kulkarni P, Kudale A, Arasu K, Lab M, Darby W, Rangan S. Tuberculosis knowledge and awareness in tribal-dominant districts of Jharkhand, India: implications for ACSM. Public Health Action. 2014; 4(3):189-94.

Yasobant S, Shah H, Bhavsar P, Patel J, Saha S, Sinha A, et al. Why and where? Delay in Tuberculosis care cascade: A cross-sectional assessment in two Indian states, Jharkhand, Gujarat. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:101.

Manjareeka M, Nanda S. Prevalence of HIV infection among tuberculosis patients in eastern India. J Infect Public Health. 2013;6(5):358-62.

Hijazi M, Stefanus B, Abdullah Y, Razali J. Ensemble deep learning for tuberculosis detection using chest X-ray and canny edge detected images. Int J Art Intell. 2019;8(4):429-35.

Verma G, Kumar A, Dixit S. Early detection of tuberculosis using hybrid feature descriptors and deep learning network. Pol J Radiol. 2023;88:e445-54.

Kagujje M, Nyangu S, Maimbolwa MM, Shuma B, Mutti L, Somwe P, et al. Strategies to increase childhood tuberculosis case detection at the primary health care level: Lessons from an active case finding study in Zambia. PLoS One. 2023;18(7):e0288643.