Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, April 28: A district-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Civil Surgeon Dr. Sangeeta Jain regarding elimination of TB in children, which was attended by health officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations, including the World Health Organisation. The aim of the meeting was to create awareness about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of TB in children.
Detailing the challenges in diagnosing TB in young children, Civil Surgeon Dr. Sangeeta Jain said that they are often unable to clearly express their symptoms and it may be difficult to collect samples for testing. Timely detection and treatment is even more important to prevent the spread of the disease.
District TB Officer Dr. Navdeep Singh stressed that if children below the age of 14 years show symptoms like persistent cough and fever for more than two weeks, weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats or blood in sputum, they should be immediately taken to a paediatrician. Dr Amarpreet Singh and State Technical Manager (WHP) Dr Satish made presentations on issues related to TB.
They stressed the importance of early detection of the disease and encouraged parents and school teachers to be alert to the symptoms of TB in children. They urged that suspected cases should be immediately taken to the nearest TB clinic for examination. District Immunization Officer Dr Girish Dogra and other officials were present in the meeting.