The Hindu Editorial (Taking TB seriously) – Sep 10, 2024

To read this article, click “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (Taking TB seriously) – Sep 10, 2024:

BPaLM regimen (noun) – a novel treatment for Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) under its National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) as a highly effective and shorter treatment option. consists four-drug combination – Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid and Moxifloxacin, has been proven to be safe, more effective and a quicker treatment option than the previous MDR-TB treatment procedure. While traditional MDR-TB treatments can last up to 20 months with severe side effects, BPaLM regimen can cure the drug-resistant TB in just six months with high treatment success rate. India’s 75,000 drug-resistant TB patients will now be able to avail benefit of this shorter regimen.
regimen (noun) – A treatment plan that specifies the dosage, the schedule, and the duration of treatment.
drug (noun) – medicine, medication, medical drug.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) (noun) – Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is TB that does not respond to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful anti-TB drugs.
Drug-Sensitive Tuberculosis (DS-TB) (noun) – DSTB is where a person is infected with TB bacteria that are susceptible to all first line anti-TB drugs. It means that all of the first line TB drugs will be effective as long as they are taken properly and regularly. This type of TB has the best prognosis (i.e. a prediction of the course of a disease) and the shortest treatment duration.
of the essence (phrase) – to be the most important thing.
drag one’s feet (phrase) – delay, procrastinate, postpone action, put off doing something, use delaying tactics, take one’s time.
transformative (adjective) – evolutionary, life-changing, developmental, revolutionary.
hardly (adverb) – barely, almost not.
a step in the right direction (phrase) – an action/activity/measure taken that increases someone’s chance or possibility of success.
outcome (noun) – consequence, effect, (end) result, implication.
remarkably (adverb) – considerably, markedly, significantly, noticeably, distinctly, exceptionally.
result in (verb) – cause, lead to, bring on, bring about, give rise to.
hitherto (adverb) – until now, up to this point, so far, thus far, to date.
frontline (noun) – the front and most important position.
frontline drug (noun) – the most important medicine.
move (noun) – step, action, activity, measure.
tremendous (adjective) – very great, huge, immense, massive, substantial.
make sense (phrase) – be accepted, be convincing, hold up, prove true.
voluntarily (adverb) – willingly, freely, of one’s own free will, of one’s own volition.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (noun) –The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.
last (verb) – continue, go on, carry on, take.
up to (phrase) – until.
entail (verb) – require, demand, call for, make necessary.
repute (verb) – be regarded, be reported, be believed, be considered, be judged.
switch (verb) – change.
endorse (verb) – support, back, approve (of), ratify, authorize, be in agreement with.
undoubtedly (adverb) – obviously, unquestionably, certainly, beyond doubt.
admirably (adverb) – desirably, attractively, excellently.
commitment (noun) – responsibility, onus, accountability, obligation, liability.
political will (noun) – political desire/intention; administrative will.
see the back of (phrase) – be rid of; to be freed from or to be relieved of (something unwanted).
measure (noun) – action, step, move, procedure.
in aid of (phrase) – in support of.
conventional (adjective) – traditional, standard, typical, regular, common.
culture testing (noun) – a laboratory test to check for bacteria or other germs in a blood sample.
drug sensitivity testing (noun) – It determines which drugs can kill the tubercle bacilli. If the tubercle bacilli can be killed by a particular drug, they are susceptible to that drug. If tubercle bacilli can grow in the presence of a particular drug, they are resistant to that drug. (Tubercle bacillus is a bacterium of the genus Mycobacterium (M. tuberculosis) that causes tuberculosis in humans).
rapid molecular test (noun) – It facilitates early and accurate detection of people with TB, contributing to improved patient outcomes and reduced disease transmission.
diagnose (verb) – identify the nature and cause of an illness/condition by examination.
Ni-kshay Mitra (noun) – This is an initiative under the “Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMBA), implemented by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare that seeks to eliminate TB by 2025 – five years ahead of the global goal of 2030. First articulated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2018, “Ni-kshay Mitra” is an initiative that provides for additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support by elected representatives, corporates, organisations, NGOs, and individuals to those undergoing TB treatment. This in turn, would help them on their journey towards a successful recovery.
yield (noun) – give, provide, produce.
incidence (noun) – It refers to the number of new cases that develop in a given period of time whereas “prevalence” refers to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time.
World Health Organization (WHO) (noun) – Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.
mortality (noun) – (in a particular time/for a cause) the rate/number of death; death, loss of life.
DOTS therapy (noun) – a method of drug administration in which a health care professional watches as a person takes each dose of a medication. Directly observed therapy (DOT) is used to ensure the person receives and takes all medications as prescribed and to monitor response to treatment. DOT is widely used to manage tuberculosis (TB) disease.
revolutionise (verb) – transform, alter dramatically, shake up, restructure, reorganize, rejig, reform, recast, reshape.
back in the day (phrase) – used to refer to an earlier time; used for talking about a time in the past.
administer (verb) – dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine).
administration (noun) – the way by which a drug (medicine) is taken into the body.
supervised administration (noun) – supervised administration of drugs in the presence of trained staff ensures compliance and improves drug regime success rate. Trials across different countries have established the effectiveness of directly observed therapy (DOT) for prevention of relapses
centre (verb) – focus, concentrate, revolve around.
merely (adverb) – only, simply, just.
pioneer (noun) – trailblazer, innovator, groundbreaker, pathfinder, spearhead, trendsetter, avant-gardist.