Kochi distributes nutrient kits to fight tuberculosis
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The Kochi Corporation in Kerala, India, will begin providing nutrient kits to patients diagnosed with tuberculosis as part of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, a national campaign to eliminate the disease.
Mayor V.K. Minimol announced the initiative will use funds from Corporate Social Responsibility programs to support people receiving treatment. Ernakulam district, where Kochi is located, is one of five districts selected for a pilot project aiming for TB-free status by next year.
Kochi plans to actively find tuberculosis cases through camps held within the city limits. These camps will offer screening tests, phlegm analysis, and X-rays, with a focus on people considered most at risk. The TB Unit at Ernakulam General Hospital will lead these efforts, initially prioritising improvements to X-ray access. To qualify as TB Mukt, a district must test 30 out of every 1,000 people, maintain a positivity rate below one per thousand, and achieve a 90% treatment success rate.
The campaign will offer free testing and treatment to both patients and their close contacts. Individuals concerned about privacy can also seek testing and treatment at private hospitals participating in the System for TB Elimination in Private Sector (STEPS) program. Beyond treatment, the corporation will also provide 12-week preventative therapy to people showing no immediate symptoms but considered susceptible to TB infection, aiming to protect them from developing the disease later in life.
These services will be available through 19 Urban Primary Health Centres within Kochi.
