Siddharthnagar: A team of experts used AI-powered TB diagnostic equipment to screen patients under the Government of India’s 100-day Intensive TB Elimination Campaign that started on December 7, 2024. The campaign is part of a larger National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) under the National Health Mission (NHM), which aims to eliminate TB from India by 2025. On 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign, UP State TB Officer, Dr Shailendra Bhatnagar, told ANI, “The focus of this campaign is on the vulnerable population who are more prone to get TB, like those who are above 60 years of age, malnourished, people with alcohol use disorder, smokers, who live in close proximity to other TB patients, or people living in slums or jail.” He further said, “94% of the vulnerable population identified in UP have been screened. UP has around 14 (AI-enabled) handheld X-ray machines. Industrialists and the Government of India have expressed their interest in providing more of these machines.” On 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign, ASHA worker Ranjana Choudhary told ANI, “This campaign is being run from 7 December 2024 to 24 March 2025. It has three objectives: to find new tuberculosis patients, to prevent new tuberculosis patients, and to reduce the mortality rate of TB.” A 20-year-old TB warrior Anjali told ANI, “I was diagnosed with TB in 2021, I first got treated at a private hospital. But I did not get relief from my prescribed medicines. Then, an ASHA worker from my area took me to a district hospital, where I continued my treatment. I also got a Nikshay Poshan Kit and Rs 500.” She expressed delight and further added, “I was TB-free after eight months of treatment. I received training as a TB warrior at a district hospital in Lucknow and joined as a warrior on February 28, 2022. When I was first diagnosed with TB, I hid my illness. So I motivate patients to talk about their diagnosis so that they can get treatment and recover at the earliest.”
