SHILLONG, March 24: A government report, which was released by Health Minister AL Hek on Wednesday, has revealed that the cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Meghalaya have seen a steep rise of 62 per cent in the past seven years.
Hek had released the document, ‘Meghalaya State Strategic Plan to Eliminate TB by 2025’, during the observation of the World Tuberculosis Day at the Main Secretariat.
It may be mentioned that the ‘Meghalaya State Strategic Plan to Eliminate TB by 2025’ is in line with the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination 2017-25.
The document revealed that cases of drug-resistant TB are the major stumbling blocks to achieving a TB-free Meghalaya.
“The burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Meghalaya has risen from 3.6 to 8.5 per lakh population in the past seven years,” the document said, adding, “drug-resistant TB cases have seen a rise of 62 per cent compared to 0.15 per cent”.
Other challenges faced by Meghalaya towards achieving a TB-free state are diabetes, use of tobacco and alcohol, migrants, and malnutrition.
As per the document, it is estimated that about 4,500 cases of tuberculosis are reported every year in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, the document has also revealed that that the current occurrence of HIV-infected persons is alarming.
A report from Meghalaya State AIDS Control Society (MACS) has revealed that there are 4,525 number of HIV cases in the state.