Chennai Mayor flags off tuberculosis awareness campaign vehicle

Chennai Mayor R. Priya flagging off the ‘Tuberculosis-Free Tamil Nadu’ awareness campaign vehicle at Ripon Buildings on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Chennai Mayor R. Priya launched the ‘Tuberculosis-Free Tamil Nadu’ awareness campaign vehicle on Saturday at Ripon Buildings. The campaign aims to raise awareness on tuberculosis (TB) among the public. This is part of the ongoing efforts of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to combat the disease, a press release said.

In the release, the GCC said: “The State government aims to eradicate TB by 2025. By November 2024, 2,88,331 people had been tested for TB, with 7,968 receiving treatment at public health centres and 4,857 people at private facilities. Among the 8,735 household contacts of diagnosed TB patients, 5,767 were given preventive treatment.” The release added that the Public Health Department of the GCC has been intensifying TB control measures.

The awareness campaign aims to diagnose TB early, reduce deaths due to the disease, and minimise its impact. “Health workers will visit houses to raise awareness, conduct 100% testing for high-risk individuals, and collect sputum samples. They will also identify comorbidities, provide preventive TB treatment to household contacts of TB and HIV patients, and address malnutrition among TB patients,” the release said.