Truenat is an indigenous rapid molecular test platform that is currently under use in NTEP for diagnosis of TB and Rif Resistance. It is a platform utilising real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology built into micro-PCR chips.
Testing on Truenat involves three components:
A person affected by TB requires support throughout the course of treatment and beyond that. The support to a TB patient is essential to ensure that s/he completes the treatment without affecting her/his quality of life (QoL). Keeping the patient as the central figure in the continuum of care, and ensuring social and personal circumstances are supportive (not only meeting immediate requirements of medical treatment) is the key to treatment support.
When an HIV-positive person dies from TB, the underlying cause is classified as HIV with TB as a contributory cause. However, the milestones and targets for reductions in TB deaths set at the End TB Strategy are for the combined total of deaths in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people.
Replacement of component(s) drug(s) is required in conditions like adverse drug reaction, poor tolerance, contraindication and resistance detected on baseline Liquid Culture (LC) Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST).
The replacement sequence of drugs is prepared according to their efficacy, no demonstrable resistance, prior use, side-effect profile and background resistance to replacement drug in the country.
Delamanid (Dlm) can be provided to adults and children aged 2 years to <18 years, given their special needs in consultation with a paediatrician. Special considerations while using Dlm include:
The total duration of a longer oral Multidrug/ Extensively drug-resistant TB (M/XDR-TB) regimen is 18–20 months.
Because of the risk for potential drug-drug interactions, the following medications are not allowed during the 24-week administration of Bedaquiline (Bdq) and up to one month after the last dose of Bdq:
Drug dose administration for shorter/ longer oral Bedaquiline (Bdq)-containing Multidrug-resistant (MDR)/ Rifampicin-resistant (RR)-TB regimen depends on the factors described below.
The interaction between HIV and TB in co-infected persons is bidirectional and synergistic; on the one hand, HIV infection predisposes the development of active TB, and, on the other, the course of HIV-related immunodeficiency is worsened by active TB infection.
Under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) patients receive standardized DR-TB treatment boxes (called Patient-wise Boxes - PWB) for each month. These boxes are either with the health facility nearest to DR-TB patients (DOT centre) or with the treatment supporter who is involved in the care of DR-TB patients.
Steps involved in the preparation of second-line drug boxes for DR-TB patients: