Smoking major cause of TB deaths

MUMBAI: Taking cue from last week's WHO warning about tuberculosis (TB) killing 1.7 mn people in India and China in 2006 alone, anti-tobacco campaigners once again reinforced that smoking was the main cause for spreading tuberculosis and causing deaths.

Says Dr. P C Gupta of Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health," Smokers seem to have higher propensity (to TB) and suffer much worse consequences. In India smoking was causing TB and killing more people than lung cancer."

When the Indian researchers looked at effect of smoking, the findings revealed that 40 percent of TB deaths were among men and it happened because of smoking, informed Dr Gupta.

While it's true that TB is more common among the lower socio economic strata because of over-crowding and poverty, the common use of smoking and tobacco, played a major role in the spread of the disease which is swelling despite the fact that there's a cure available for it.

So, why are people dying of a curable disease TB in the 21st century?

The government controlled programmes are lagging behind, feel experts. "It has not been 100 percent successful," concurs Dr Gupta. He adds, "TB was controlled in the developed countries in the 50s and the 60s. But in India factors like population density, lack of resources and improper access to health care systems leave a lot to be desired."

Doctors agree that to some extent the fear of stigma attached to the disease is one of the causes for the spread of the disease. "At the time of conducting research work we find that people do not like answering to direct questioning about TB. And this is true of all levels of people, regardless of age and socio-economic status."

Also, there have been wrong (and at times wilful) diagnoses by quacks, whom the poor or illiterate approach for treatment. However, this is something most medical experts are not willing to talk about, openly.

The best prevention of TB is timely and wide detection and proper treatment. According to Dr Gupta, there have been good reports of the strategy of DOT (the government of India's tuberculosis control programme) and thinks TB must be treated on the spot.

With the detection process made more efficient, India can rid itself of TB, just like the western countries have achieved, feel medical experts.