Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 15
The estimated number of Tuberculosis (TB) suspects examined in the year 2016 was 14,809 in Nagaland, out of which treatment for 3276 TB patients was initiated.
This was stated in the Nagaland Economic Survey 2016-17 tabled in the recent State Assembly session here by Parliamentary Secretary for Economics & Statistics Tovihoto Ayemi.
The report stated that Nagaland State formally launched the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) on December 1, 2012 to achieve and maintain a cure rate of at least 85% among newly detected infections cases and also to detect at least 70% of such cases in the population.
A collaboration of the activities of TB and HIV was started in 2008. Also, DOTS Plus services for management and treatment of MDR TB was initiated in August 2012.
Under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), Nagaland became the first state in the Indian Union to achieve the target of maintaining the prevalence rate of 1 case per 10000 population, set by the Government of India and World Health Organization (WHO).
During 2016-17, 94 new cases of leprosy were detected, out of which 79 were released after successful treatment.
National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) covers 6 vector borne diseases namely, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Dengue, Kala Azar, Chikungunya and Filariasis. Out of these Malaria, JE and Dengue are found in Nagaland.
Malaria is endemic in all the 11 districts while JE is detected in 9 districts- Dimapur, Kohima, Mon, Peren, Mokokchung, Zunheboto, Longleng, Tuensang and Wokha and Dengue in one district (Dimapur).
Through implementation of NVBDCP programme, there is a decrease in malarial cases and decline in the number of deaths due to vector borne diseases.
The number of malarial cases in the state was recorded at 0.76 per 1000 population in 2015-16, which decreased to 0.41 in 2016-17, and the number of death due to malaria was zero during 2016-17.
There was an outbreak of Dengue during 2016-17 and number of dengue affected patients rose to 1679, however no death was reported during the year. Preventive interventions, sensitization strategy and timely treatment contributed in substantially reducing the number of cases and deaths of such diseases in the State.
