Kochi Corporation to roll out nutrient kits under TB eradication drive

The Kochi Corporation will introduce a nutrient kit component for patients as part of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

The announcement followed a presentation on the campaign – aimed at making Ernakulam district TB-free by next year – held for Corporation councillors last week. Ernakulam is among five districts identified for the pilot project.

“We will provide a nutrient kit to those detected with Tuberculosis (TB) during the campaign by tapping into Corporate Social Responsibility funds,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol. The presentation stressed the importance of such kits, with TB units tasked with providing the beneficiary list. Local bodies like Kalamassery, already declared TB Mukt, have distributed kits worth around ₹1,500.

Camps will be organised within Kochi Corporation limits to trace TB patients and extend treatment to them and their contacts during the first three months after detection. “Camps will follow a three-pronged strategy – screening tests, collection of phlegm for examination, and X-rays – targeting vulnerable and high-risk categories. Plugging gaps in conducting X-rays by the end of this month will be the primary focus,” said Anju Angel Alex, medical officer in charge of the TB Unit at Ernakulam General Hospital.

For a district to be declared TB Mukt, 30 out of 1,000 persons must be tested, the positivity rate should be less than one per thousand, and the cure success rate must reach 90%. As part of the campaign, testing and treatment will be free for patients and their contacts.

Those concerned about privacy in undergoing screening at government institutions can also approach private hospitals covered under the System for TB Elimination in Private Sector (STEPS) Centres to access free tests and treatment.

Camps will be held under the limits of 19 Urban Primary Health Centres in Kochi Corporation. People susceptible to TB infection but found without overt symptoms will be subjected to 12-week TB preventive therapy to ensure they do not fall victim to the disease in later years, when they become physically vulnerable.