Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Journalism of Courage
Premium
Intensified screening in high-risk areas, handheld X-rays: How Delhi detected 12k TB cases in six weeks
According to official figures, of the total notified patients, 1,323 (around 11%) were children.
According to the official, the initiative has now been integrated into the routine public health system and will continue even after the 100-day campaign concludes.
Delhi has detected more than 12,000 tuberculosis cases in just over six weeks as an intensified screening drive across slums, high-risk neighbourhoods and crowded community settings helped identify thousands of previously undiagnosed patients, official data shows.
The drive was part of the Delhi National TB Elimination Programme’s ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan 2.0’ held between March 24 and May 4. The drive is ongoing.
According to official figures, of the total notified patients, 1,323 (around 11%) were paediatric cases, while 10,755 (89%) were adults. In terms of gender distribution, 6,360 patients were male (52.6%), 5,715 were female (47.3%), and three were transgender persons.
A senior official from the state health department said that, on average, about 6,000 TB cases are reported every month across Delhi’s 24 chest clinics. However, he noted case detection has increased significantly under the Centre’s 100-day campaign launched on March 24. “We have installed portable X-ray machines on a mass level, so more screening has led to detection of more cases,” he said.
Another senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a key gap in TB detection so far had been the inability to identify asymptomatic patients early.
He explained that the intensified campaign is specifically designed to address this gap by actively searching for individuals who may already be infected but are not yet showing visible symptoms. “These extra cases were supposed to come to us after a month, but we got them a month earlier,” he said.
Identifying cases early is the most important elimination strategy for TB because the disease is both curable and transmissible — which means every undiagnosed patient can continue spreading the infection, often for weeks or months.
Story continues below this ad
The official said the campaign specifically targets asymptomatic patients living in vulnerable and high-density areas such as slums, shelter homes, night shelters, JJ colonies, de-addiction shelters and old age homes.
Between March 24 and May 4, the campaign focused heavily on active screening and outreach: 224 camps were organised in high-risk wards and areas. Another 79 were organised in congregate settings such as prisons, destitute homes, old age homes.
According to the official, the initiative has now been integrated into the routine public health system and will continue even after the 100-day campaign concludes.
The official added that one of the biggest interventions introduced under the campaign is handheld X-ray screening. He explained that while microbiological tests remain the confirmatory method for TB diagnosis, handheld X-rays are helping health workers identify suspected cases much faster in the field.
Story continues below this ad
The objective, he explained, is to detect infection before symptoms become severe or before individuals themselves realise they may have TB. He also noted that the urban screening model has been strengthened after earlier logistical challenges, including shortage of screening equipment. “Now, the whole system is in place,” he said.
THE DRIVE
984 Ayushman Arogya Shivirs organised
224 camps in high-risk areas
79 camps in congregate settings
71,603 people screened
WHO ARE BEING SCREENED?
Smokers, alcoholics; people with HIV, diabetes; those in prisons, old age homes; slum dwellers; beggars; construction workers; rickshaw pullers and gig workers
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog