Health scare as TDR-TB cases rise in city

Mumbai: There could be more than 12 cases of the new and deadlier form of tuberculosis, Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis or TDR-TB, in the city. JJ Hospital officials and a private doctor said they are treating patients suffering from TDR-TB. 

    JJ Hospital dean Dr T P Lahane confirmed that they have identified two patients suffering from the new strain of TB and who have been under treatment since 2003. No city lab can certify TDR-TB 
Mumbai: City doctors may have identified fresh cases of new strain of tuberculosis with JJ Hospital and private doctor confirming that they are treating patients suffering from Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis or TDR-TB. 
    "We have two cases of TDR-TB. They had stopped taking the primary course after a few months of being detected. They then developed resistant strain. This happened twice to each of these patients,'' JJ Hospital dean Dr T P Lahane said. 
    Meanwhile, Dr Yatin Dholakia of the Maharashtra State Anti-Tuberculosis Association said that he had found TDR-TB in a patient two years ago. "The girl improved for a few months but left the city when her aunt could no longer afford the treatment,"' he said. 
    A few months ago, he identified the new strain in another woman. "She has localized lesions in her lungs and could improve after surgery, but no doctor is as yet willing to operate on her," he said. 
    However, it is not clear if these cases are the same that were included in the study done by the Hinduja Hospital at Mahim, and published in an international medical journal last week. 
    Doctors in Bangalore, too, said that they have identified cases of TDR-TB. 
    Hinduja Hospital doctors, led by Dr Zarir Udwadia, identified the new strain in 12 persons—10 from Mumbai, one from Ratnagiri and one from UP— since October 2011, of which one patient has died. 
    "No Mumbai laboratory can certify TDR-TB," said Dr S C Gupta, director general, state health services, But he said Union government officials would come to Mumbai next week to study the cases. BMC to trace patients' kin A fter a joint meeting between the state and civic officials, BMC additional municipal commissioner (health) Manisha Mhaiskar said the BMC would set up teams to trace families of the 12 patients identified with TDR-TB. "Also, since the JJ Hospital's newly set up TB lab is the only lab in the public sector, we decided to start taking up to 20 samples per day instead of 10,'' said Mhaiskar. TNN