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Management of TB Disease starts once TB is diagnosed and consists of various stages from treatment initiation to completion and post treatment followup.

During treatment there will be continuous monitoring, including adherence monitoring, clinical and laboratory followup, and Adverse Drug Reaction Management.

The treatment course is divided into two phases, the intensive and the continuation phase.

First line drugs are the least toxic and most effective drugs that are used in first line of therapy.

The first-line antituberculosis drugs that form the core of treatment regimens are

As TB is an airborne infection, TB bacteria are released into the air when someone with infectious TB coughs or sneezes. The risk of infection can be reduced by taking simple precautions:

Figure: Measures for control and prevention of tuberculosis

• Community Health Volunteers play a significant role in increasing awareness regarding the burden of TB and the importance of preventing it and regularly screening the population.
• Community Health Volunteers should use the various platforms in the communities, such as the PRI meetings, school meetings etc., for spreading the information on TB. Using such media, the Community Health Volunteers should focus on building community awareness to improve the patients' health-seeking behaviour.

In Paediatric TB patients (0–18 years) - diagnosis is difficult and different in comparison to TB occurring in adult patients.

Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) is TB involving any part of the body other than the lungs, e.g., pleura, lymph nodes, abdomen, genitourinary tract, skin, joints, bones, meninges and other sites. A case of Presumptive Extra Pulmonary TB is identified when they exhibit symptoms and signs suggestive of EP TB.

Symptoms of EP TB are dependent on the site of TB as illustrated below.

Educating patients on collection is essential to have good quality sputum. The healthcare worker (HCW)/ medical officer (MO) or the laboratory technician (LT) can educate patients on how to collect and dispense sputum.

The HCW/MO/LT provides a new sputum cup with the Laboratory Serial Number written on its side to the patient. They should explain that sputum should be collected in an open place or in a well-ventilated room; it should not be collected in closed rooms, toilets and ill-ventilated rooms

Health Volunteers

• are members of the communities where they work,
• are supported by the health system but not necessarily a part of its organization,
• and have shorter training than professional workers”

Figure: Role of Health Volunteers

Resources:

Health Volunteers/ Treatment Supporters are often the regular point of contact for a TB patient in the community. They support the TB patient during the entire episode of TB and ensure complete diagnosis and treatment. The next points of contact are with the MPHWs who periodically visit the patients to ensure specific delivery of services.  

What is Drug-Sensitive Tuberculosis (DS-TB)?

• DSTB is a case where a person is infected with TB bacteria that are susceptible to all first line anti-TB drugs. It means that all of the first line TB drugs will be effective as long as they are taken properly and regularly.

• This type of TB has the best prognosis and the shortest treatment duration.