K'taka first state to launch campaign to detect active TB cases: Minister

Bengaluru, Sep 2 Karnataka is the first state to launch a campaign to find active Tuberculosis (TB) cases in more than 29 lakh people who recovered from Covid-19 along with their their family members, state Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said on Thursday.

So far, about 7 lakh people have been screened and 157 active TB cases have been reported, the minister said.

Speaking to the media after participating in a vitual health ministers' conference chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to review the progress in the fight against TB, Sudhakar said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out a plan to make India TB free by 2025."

Mandaviya has suggested that SARI and ILI cases must be evaluated for Covid-19 and everyone must continue to follow Covid appropriate behaviour. The Union minister also appreciated the progress made by Karnataka in its vaccination drive, minister said.

"We have been closely monitoring the border districts. Officials have been instructed to widen the vaccination coverage in the villages located in the border districts. Action has been initiated against college managements where students returning from Kerala have tested positive for Covid," said the Sudhakar.

On the first 'Lasika Utsava' on Wednesday, the state administered vaccine doses to a record 12 lakh plus people.

"A target of 10 lakh doses was set for Wednesday. Thanks to the voluntary participation by the citizens and effective work of all the staff of the health department, we could administer 12,04,402 doses. As many as 1,85,488 doses were administered in the BBMP limits. Belagavi stood first with 99,973 doses. Kodagu, Gadag, Chamarajanagar and Yadagiri administered less than 20,000 doses," said the minister.

"We have now set a target of administering 5 lakh doses every day; A total of 1.12 crore doses were administered in August," he added.

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