On August 23, Bibin, an 18-year-old from a tribal colony in Kodenchery grama panchayat in Kozhikode district, was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) at the Government Medical College Hospital. He refused to undergo treatment and walked away. Bibin died the next day.
Citing this as a classic example of the reluctance of most tribespeople to undergo medical treatment, district TB officer P.P. Pramod Kumar said there could be many undetected TB cases in the 14 tribal colonies in the grama panchayat.
“Bibin could have been saved had he received timely treatment. A nine-year-old girl was diagnosed with the disease the same day as Bibin was. She is undergoing treatment now.”
Tradition
Dr. Pramod Kumar said the tribespeople’s tradition looked down upon taking treatment for the disease. Earlier, the word of the mooppan (chief) carried weight among the members of the community and they could be persuaded to go for treatment. Now, it is no longer the case.
Diagnosis
Delay in diagnosis is another problem. “Bibin had undergone treatment for fever at a hospital in Thamarassery for around 10 days before being referred to the medical college,” said Dr. Pramod Kumar.
Understanding the gravity of the problem, the district administration recently held a meeting to address the issue. It was decided that people from the Scheduled Tribes would be appointed as volunteers to convince residents about the need for medical attention. Staff from the Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Tribes were also being involved in the process.
Migrant labourers
Undiagnosed cases and half-treated cases were a cause for concern among migrant labourers too, said Dr. Pramod Kumar.
“Most of the migrant labourers in Kerala are from Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Bihar where the prevalence of TB is very high. Some of them come here either undiagnosed or discontinuing the treatment midway. As TB is a communicable disease, there is a chance of it spreading among the local population,” he pointed out. Correct data is yet to be made available about the health condition of migrant labourers.
If properly diagnosed, TB can be completely cured with a treatment lasting six to eight months. If the treatment is stopped midway, it may lead to multi-drug resistant TB, the treatment of which requires around two years and more expensive medicines.
“A screening process has begun to control TB cases among migrant labourers. Camps are being conducted at the work sites in all blocks. A special officer in charge of vector-borne diseases control has been appointed for the purpose,” said Dr. Pramod Kumar.