Traditional Tibetan medicine: therapeutic potential in lung diseases

Tuberculosis Case Identified In Avery County

The Toe River Health District, in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Avery County School System, is investigating potential tuberculosis (TB) exposure in Avery County.

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An individual with active TB has been identified and isolated by the Toe River Health District. During the investigation, health officials identified over 100 individuals who may have had close contact with the infected person. All potentially exposed individuals have been contacted by public health nurses from the Toe River Health District or the Avery County School System.

While most people with close contact to someone with active TB do not become ill, a small number may become infected with the TB bacteria. Early detection of TB infection is crucial, as it can be treated to prevent the development of active TB disease. People who are sick with TB disease can be treated with medications and are almost always cured.

Active TB most often affects the lungs. People who are sick with the disease often experience one or more of the following:

Couch lasting more than 3 weeks

Profuse sweating at night, often soaking the best sheets

Unintentional weight loss

"Identifying illnesses, protecting the public and working to contain this exposure is our top priority," said Toe River Health District Director F.M. Gardner in a press release on Monday. "We will continue to test those at risk and protect the public. If you have not ben contacted by a nurse from the Toe River Health District or the Avery County School System, you do not need to be tested."

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This Low-cost Device Can Detect TB Using Just A Smartphone

Tezpur University researchers have built a super-portable, low-cost device to detect tuberculosis (TB)—perfect for places where healthcare is hard to reach.Weighing less than 300gm and costing under ₹25,000, it runs with just a smartphone and spots TB bacteria using natural autofluorescence.The goal? Make early TB diagnosis way easier.

How it works

Instead of fancy dyes or expensive machines, this device uses a built-in heater to boost the natural glow of TB bacteria—so you get accurate results right on your phone.The tech is patented and their research was published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Device could help in rural areas

Most TB tests need pricey gear and trained staff—not ideal for rural areas.Tezpur's gadget skips the chemicals and complicated setup but still delivers reliable results.It could make a real difference for communities that usually get left out of advanced medical care.

Cy-TB Test Introduced By Kerala Government To Detect And Treat Latent Tuberculosis Infections

The Kerala health authorities have introduced a new intradermal test called Cy-TB for detecting and treating tuberculosis (TB) infection following the prioritisation of latent TB infection treatment under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

TB infection is different from active TB disease. A person with TB infection harbours the organism causing TB infection (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) in the body, having probably acquired it through contact with someone with active disease. But the organism remains dormant or inactive in the body and the person neither has any TB symptoms nor is he/she contagious.

However, if left untreated, 5-10% of these people will progress to developing active TB disease when the body's immune system weakens, allowing the TB bacteria to flare up. This could happen within weeks of acquiring the infection or perhaps years, depending on the immune system and other factors determining immune regulation.

Study in Thiruvananthapuram district

A community-based cross-sectional study among adults in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2022 had/ reported that roughly one-fifth of the adult population in the district – 20.5% of adults – have tuberculosis infection. The study, "Prevalence of Tuberculosis Infection among Adults of Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala as Measured by Interferon Gamma Release Assay – A Cross-Sectional Study," tested whole blood samples of 396 adults in Thiruvananthapuram for TB infection and found that the prevalence of TB infection increased with age, ranging from 11.5% in the 18-35 age group to 30.3% in the 58-years-plus age group.

"Our studies show that about 22% of the State's general population has acquired TB infection from the community. While they pose no immediate threat to the community, once they go into an immuno-compromised state, the bacteria will multiply and produce symptoms of active disease. Given the morbidity profile of Kerala – high prevalence of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heavy alcohol use and a huge population on dialysis – it is important that we identify and treat these people to reduce the future burden of TB," says Aparna Mohan, Government of India-World Health Organization consultant for TB.

While Kerala has been to reduce TB transmission significantly -- about 40% over the past six years or so -- subclinical or asymptomatic TB is emerging as a significant challenge while the State is attempting to traverse the last mile towards TB elimination.

The burden of tuberculosis

TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often affects the lungs. TB is spread through the air when people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit. A person needs to inhale only a few germs to become infected.

According to the World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, India continues to lead in the global TB burden (26% of cases) and is also the hub for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) and TB deaths.

Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB). Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year – making it the world's top infectious killer.

TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.

About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, but most people will not go on to develop TB disease and some will clear the infection. Those who are infected but not (yet) ill with the disease cannot transmit it.

People infected with TB bacteria have a 5–10% lifetime risk of falling ill with TB. Those with compromised immune systems, such as people living with HIV, malnutrition or diabetes, or people who use tobacco, have a higher risk of falling ill.

Source: World Health OrganizationWhat is the Cy-TB test?

Cy-TB is a third-generation test approved by the Central TB Division, Government of India.

Since 2021, Kerala has been using the blood test Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) for detecting TB infection. However, this test required extensive laboratory support and it had a waiting period too. There were also systemic difficulties in rolling it out.

Cy-TB is a highly specific, accurate and user-friendly skin test, wherein 0.1 ml doses of M. Tuberculosis-specific antigens (ESAT-6 and CFP-10) are injected into the skin in the inner forearm. An induration (a raised area) of 5 mm or more which develops on the skin within 48-72 hours indicates TB infection. While a trained nurse can administer the injection, the person will have to return to the health centre for the skin reaction to be checked out.

If a person tests positive, active TB has to be ruled out before considering TB preventive therapy. TB preventive therapy is optional and not currently recommended for all those who are infected. Only high-risk individuals are recommended for preventive therapy under the NTEP.

Risk groups

In Kerala, the identified risk groups include individuals on immunosuppressive therapy, those with silicosis (lung disease following the inhalation of silica dust), those on anti-TNF treatment (for autoimmune diseases), and those on dialysis and awaiting organ transplantation. Preventive therapy is also offered to healthcare workers who test positive in the Cy-TB test.

The preventive therapy is a short regimen with fewer drugs than the active TB regimen. This could be three-month weekly Isoniazid and Rifapentine (3HP) or six months of daily Isoniazid (6H).

According to the State TB Division, Cy-TB will be offered in district TB centres, taluk hospitals, at the block level in some districts and in all dialysis centres too. The Health Department also intends to use Cy-TB to test residents of old age homes where pulmonary TB has been reported. The test is currently available in major private hospitals too.

Published - July 19, 2025 07:05 pm IST

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