The civic body has decided to carry out a door-to-door survey to screen people for both the diseases, starting December 1
Civic officials said that last year there were more than 58,000 cases of TB, and 453 cases of leprosy were detected between April 2019 and March this year
Screening, detection and work related to COVID-19 care have severely affected the treatment of other communicable diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy across the city. Data indicates that the number of fresh cases of leprosy and TB reported this year is much less than last year's tally. Hence, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to carry out a door-to-door survey to screen people for both the diseases starting December 1.
Civic officials said that last year there were more than 58,000 cases of TB, and 453 cases of leprosy were detected between April 2019 and March this year. After the lockdown came into effect, the numbers dropped drastically. While 29,512 TB cases were reported between January and November (till November 25), for leprosy, only 62 cases were reported between April and November (till November 27).
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"There was no transportation available and healthcare staff were busy with COVID-19 duties due to which work related to detection of leprosy and TB had been halted. The numbers are low also because many patients come from other districts to Mumbai and they weren't able to travel," said a health official.
The door-to-door survey will include visits to 12 lakh homes and aims to cover a population of 50 lakh. While this survey takes place across the state, civic officials said that this year, they couldn't do it due to the pandemic. "During the lockdown, detection of fresh TB cases dropped and now we have the opportunity to make up for the time lost. The survey will be carried out between December 1 and 16 and our aim is to complete the tests and diagnosis of the patients by December 31, so that they can start their treatment as soon as possible," said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer.
In the surveys carried out in past years, apart from TB and leprosy, people were also screened for non-communicable diseases. That part, however, will be left out this year due to shortage of time to prepare for it. Health department officials said teams of two healthcare workers would be sent out to visit slum areas and chawls across the city and to cover other vulnerable sections of the society. The survey would also cover people living in prisons, orphanages and old age homes.
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