UP govt launches campaign to identify multiple diseases

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a campaign under which it will identify multiple diseases.

The campaign known as "Ekikrit Nikshay Diwas (END)" will be held on the 15th of each month.

The Nikshay Diwas was organised on the same day every month to identify TB cases but under END, patients of filariasis, malaria, chikungunya, kala azar and leprosy will also be targeted for early diagnosis, a government order stated.

"Just as TB patients were identified and their treatment was initiated, the identification and treatment for filariasis, malaria, chikungunya, kala azar and leprosy patients will also be done in the same manner," the order read.

"The idea behind such an initiative of focusing on more than one disease will ensure identification and treatment do not have a gap. If health staff visits one house and identifies more than one disease the outcome will be better," said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general, Association of International Doctors.

At present, community health officers are being trained for the purpose and later, the entire process will be done via e-Kawach app, the order read.

The state has a target to eliminate TB by the year 2025, while leprosy, filariasis, malaria, chikungunya by 2030 and kala azar by the end of this year only.

Uttar Pradesh has 51 districts affected with filariasis, 6 districts with kala azar and cases of TB, leprosy, malaria and chikungunya are identified from across the state at present, according to the data.

On December 15 during the Nikshay Diwas, 2,80,187 patients were examined in the OPDs and samples of 23,096 were taken.

Among 700 TB was confirmed and some were advised further tests. In all, treatment of 695 has begun, according to data from the health department.