Aligarh: Faculty members and resident doctors of the Department of TB and Respiratory Diseases, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University engaged in a Continuing Medical Education program and a health camp to raise public awareness about the devastating health consequences of Tuberculosis and to step up efforts to end the global epidemic.

The programme was held to observe World TB Day on the theme, ‘Invest in TB – Save Lives’, focusing on the need for investments and resources that are required to eradicate this disease.

Inaugurating the observations, Prof Rakesh Bhargava, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, said, “TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers with several thousand people across the globe falling ill every day with this disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved millions of lives but the Covid pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB.

He pressed upon the need to create awareness about TB among the masses and to update clinicians on TB management.

Prof Shahid A Siddiqui, Principal, JNMC, emphasised: “TB can be detected via certain symptoms, though symptoms are usually not visible in the latent stage. It can be easily treated when detected early”.

He also spoke on the state-of-art facilities at JNMC for TB treatment.

Prof Zuber Ahmad delivered a talk on ‘Mutations in Genes of Mycobacterium for Diagnosis and Treatment of Resistant TB’ and drew attention to drug resistance as a major challenge for TB eradication.

Dr Imrana Masood spoke on ‘Recent Diagnostic Techniques in the Management of Tuberculosis’ and Dr Ummul Baneen discussed, ‘Different Treatment Regimens available for Drug-Resistant TB’.

Prof Mohammad Shameem delivered the concluding remarks and Dr Nafees Ahmad extended the vote of thanks.

Public awareness on TB and its treatment was also raised at the World TB day observations of the Department of Community Medicine at the Rural Health Training Centre at Jawan.

Prof Anees Ahmad, Chairman, Department of Community Medicine, called for the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end the disease.

Inaugurating the awareness programme at Jawan, Dr Uzma Eram, Incharge RHTC, said: “Lung health needs to remain high on the agenda as TB disease continues to ravage the world”.

Dr Ankit K Singh, Medical Officer In-charge, Community Health Service, Jawan, discussed the modes of TB Transmission and early treatment. 

Dr Ambika, Dr Arpit and Dr Shobhit Saxena spoke on symptoms and precautions.