CUTTACK: The fight against multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) has gained teeth in the State with the launch of advanced Line Probe Assay (LPA) and liquid culture at the Accredited Intermediary Reference Laboratory (IRL) of the SCB Medical College and Hospital here on Saturday.The state-of-the-art LPA facility under the Anti-TB Demonstration and Training (ATDT) centre of SCBMCH, that would bring down the duration of tests, was inaugurated by Health Secretary Anu Garg on the occasion of the World TB Day on Saturday. Accredited by the National TB Institute and Central TB Division, the LPA would enable test results in two to three days as against three months taken by the conventional solid culture method. The LPA has been installed by the State Government in association with the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).The SCBMCH has been designated nodal centre for treatment of MDR TB patients since 2009 with an eight-bed DOTS Plus ward, functioning from the ATDT Centre. Till date over 150 MDR TB cases have been diagnosed in the State and 100 received treatment, senior medical officer of the Centre Dr Sanjit Patnaik said.With MDR TB posing a serious challenge to TB control and eradication measures, the State Government has launched DOTS Plus services for programmatic management of drug resistant TB cases in 15 districts with seven other districts to be included by the end of this month. The programme is targeted to cover the entire State by July this year. DOTS Plus sites for investigation and management of MDR TB would soon be expanded to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, VSSMCH Burla and district headquarters hospital at Koraput.Though no concrete status of MDR TB is available, the situation is considered to be alarming as TB prevalence rate continues to be high at 230 cases per lakh population. If one of these develops drug resistance, he can infect 10 to 15 persons in a year.It is estimated that at least 3 per cent of new TB cases and around 15 per cent of the existing ones might be carrying drug resistant strains.Odisha, though considered to be among the better performing States in terms of achieving treatment success above the prescribed norms of 88 per cent, case detection rates continue to lag behind. New sputum positive (NSP) cases in the State are around 85 per lakh per year.As per Central TB Division stipulated target, at least 70 per cent of these cases have to be detected and treated. The number of NSP cases that are detected and put under treatment in the State is 62 per cent.The State Government also observed the World TB Day with a function organised at the IMA House, Bhubaneswar. Health Minister Prasanna Acharya, Anu Garg, NRHM MD Dr Pramod Meherda, Director of Health Services Dr UK Sahoo, Director of Public Health Dr PC Sahoo and Joint Director, TB, Dr BK Swain were present.
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