DIMAPUR — ARK Foundation, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Family Welfare/ NHM, Government of Nagaland, and in partnership with National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP), Kohima, organised an awareness programme on Tuberculosis (TB) at Government High School (GHS) in Botsa on Friday on the theme “Towards a TB-free India.”
Speaking during the session, the president of ARK Foundation, Ketho Angami, mentioned the basic aspect of TB, its signs and symptoms and how it spread from one person to another. He also mentioned about the prevention and treatment of TB, an update from ARK Foundation stated.
He described TB as an infectious disease which kills 1400 people every year across the country. He mentioned that TB is spread through the air thereby making it easy for the transmission within the community. According to him, it is spread when an infected person cough, sneeze, shouts or sings that result in the microorganism to float in the air. He stated that once a person inhale the microorganism may start falling sick thereby acquiring active TB disease.
He mentioned that the most common signs and symptoms are coughing for more than two weeks, fever resulting in night sweats, loss of appetite resulting in unexplained weight loss.
Ketho Angami stated that TB is curable and treatment is freely available in all the government hospitals. The treatment for pulmonary TB is usually for six months, he informed.
Considering the wide misuse of illegal substance among the youth of today, the resource person shared on drug addiction as a social menace and urged the young generation to stay away from drug.
He warned the students about substance such as tobacco and nicotine products which are considered as “Gateway drugs.” He advised the students to be mindful of such substance saying that it is the initial and entry point to other harder and harmful substance.
In conclusion, he emphasised upon the slogan “Say no to drugs”.
