Allahabad, first dist to launch TB/HIV screening at DMCs

ALLAHABAD: Faced with the scary prospect of tuberculosis (TB) emerging as the most common opportunistic infection affecting HIV-seropositive individuals, the health department is offering TB/HIV screening facilities at its 61 Designated Microscopic Centres (DMC) in the district.
With this, Allahabad has become the first district in Uttar Pradesh to offer both TB and HIV screening and detection facility at DMCs, claimed health department officials.
The facility will go a long way in fighting the scourge as HIV infection has contributed significantly in the incidence of TB and is fast becoming the most common cause of death in patients with AIDS.
“The District Tuberculosis Centre (DTC) is offering HIV kits to the DMCs, and health officials are now able to detect the HIV virus among TB patients within no time. The measure has been initiated as 3-4% of TB patients were found to be HIV positive. The facility of both TB and HIV screening and detection is now available at all the 61 DMCs from this month,” district tuberculosis officer (DTO) Dr O P Shahi told TOI on Tuesday.
If a person visiting a DMC tests positive for TB, the medical staff will also conduct screening and detection test for HIV, he said. “As per the guidelines of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), doctors treating TB patients must also check for HIV status.”
In July alone, we tested 840 TB patients for HIV and found 10 of them to be infected with the virus.
District programme manager Dr. Rohit Pandey told TOI: “The new facility will help us in saving time in starting proper treatment which is very important. Initially, the facility of TB/HIV screening and detection was available at 20 DMCs but now if has been made available at all 61 centres.”