In the last 10 months, the city has recorded the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases among children below the age of five years. In the last 10 months, over 1441 tuberculosis (TB) cases were diagnosed in children below five years in the state.
Out of the total 1441 TB cases, 46 per cent (659 cases) were reported in the city, followed by Pune (284 cases), and Thane (79 cases).
Out of the total 659 cases registered in the city, 658 cases were diagnosed in the city-based public hospitals while only one case was reported in private hospitals in 10 months.
BMC's executive health officer Dr Padmaja Keskar was not available for comment.
According to the medical authority in civic-run TB Hospital, most of the cases are registered in rural parts of the state. Dr Lalitkumar Anande, medical superintendent of the TB Hospital, said, "It will be wrong to claim that the city has recorded the highest number of childhood TB cases. Since most of the time relatives of patients stay in the city, they register the patients with their relatives' address. However, they are from different districts."
"Prevalence of the disease is high in these regions due to compromised immune systems. Malnutrition in children is the major trigger behind tuberculosis. Since it is an airborne disease, close contact with an infected person for a long time might put you at high risk of getting infected," added Dr Anande.
The data has been collected from April 2018 to January 2019.
Out of the total 1441 TB cases in the state, 1,371 cases were reported in public hospitals and 70 cases were reported in private hospitals.