On Monday, the Gurugram district health department started a month-long door-to-door screening campaign to identify people with tuberculosis (TB) symptoms similar to COVID symptoms. The campaign was launched to limit the exposure of TB patients to COVID.

As per the data from the health department, 150 areas in the city were identified as high-risk areas. The health department officials stated that 504 houses were screened on the first day. They further added that the program aims to screen at least 60 houses every day and that 500 teams have been deployed to meet the target. They added that each team consists of two members, i.e., one accredited social health activist (ASHA) and one multi-purpose health worker (MPHW).

Dr. Virendra Yadav, chief health officer, stated that the campaign was launched to eliminate TB from Haryana by 2025. He stated that the team will start by asking suspected patients about any respiratory illnesses. If the suspected patient shows a positive outcome, then a sputum test will be conducted to further confirm the diagnosis.

Additionally, he added that this is the correct time to launch the campaign, as several experts have stated that both COVID and TB have similar symptoms. TB patients are more prone to respiratory diseases; hence, they are likely to get infected by the coronavirus easily.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/hospitals/symptoms-same-as-covid-drive-now-to-screen-tb-patients/96707357 )