Mumbai civic body launches special drive against TB, leprosy

MUMBAI: Already battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mumbai civic body on Tuesday launched a campaign to control the spread of Tuberculosis and leprosy in the city.

The special 16-day drive also aims to create awareness among citizens about these contagious diseases, a release said.

Under this drive, over 50 lakh people from more than 12 lakh households from severely affected areas will be surveyed for TB and leprosy by 3,451 teams of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it said.

On the occasion, BMC additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani appealed to citizens to cooperate with BMC staff and volunteers who will survey the households between 9 am and 4 pm.

Kakani also directed the civic teams to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms during the drive and conduct tests as and when needed.

The campaign started from Kamgar Nagar-1 in Prabhadevi area in th island city.

"If any suspected TB patient is found during primary checks, he/she will be asked to go for X-ray and a swab test.

These tests will be carried out at civic or government laboratories. The suspected patient will be given medicines for free," the BMC said. Suspected patients of leprosy will be sent to nearby dispensaries or hospitals.

(THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS)

1235 Days ago