Aizawl: At least 71 people have died out of 1,087 tuberculosis cases detected in Mizoram since Jan this year, officials of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) said on Thursday.The officials made the statement during the state TB forum meeting held at the office of the mission director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Aizawl.Joint director (TB) and state TB officer Dr Zochhuanawmi told the meeting that 61,246 people suspected of infected with TB were tested from Jan to June, with 1,087 confirmed cases. Of those, 71 patients died.Zochhuanawmi said that 977 TB-infected people (93.5%) are above the age of 14, and 600 people (57%) are male. She also reported that there are 47 people with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). She said 520 (49%) people having lung TB.Of the 1,087 TB patients, 92 are infected with HIV, while 86.49% were cured during the same period, Zochhuanawmi said.She said 374 TB patients are receiving food baskets under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’s Nikshay Mitra Initiative, supported by 103 donors. As of now, only 28% of TB patients have food basket donors.
