Mumbai: In 18 months, 37 tuberculosis patients died of Covid-19

The BMC used bilateral testing for TB patients to detect COVID as their symptoms are similar. Representation pic

With the immunocompromised status being a major risk factor for Covid-19, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Tuberculosis department has been screening TB patients for the disease. Though Covid-19 has taken a toll on Mumbai, less than two per cent TB patients have been found positive in the past 18 months.

Since the pandemic started, BMC has tested 25,303 TB patients, out of which 452 were tested positive. Of these, 37 have died. Officials said they had adopted the bilateral testing policy with which they were able to identify TB patients with Covid-19.

Dr Pranita Tipre, in charge of the BMC TB control room, said many of the Covid-19 symptoms are similar to TB. "Many symptoms like cough, fever, heaviness in chest, weakness, etc. are similar. We, therefore, decided to have bilateral testing through which we can identify TB patients with Covid symptoms."

‘Not many infected'

She added that the test positivity rate (TPR) among the tested TB patients was 1.8 per cent. "Luckily, not many TB patients were found to be infected with Covid and those who succumbed to Covid-19 had other comorbidities," said Dr Tipre.

According to the BMC data, last year, 13,155 TB patients were tested for Covid and 298 people tested positive and 25 died. This year, till August, 12,148 people were tested, out of which 154 tested positive, and 12 died. TB experts say that though TB patients are supposed to be immunocompromised and fall under the high-risk category, the low TPR needs research.

‘Matter of research'

Dr Lalit Anande, TB expert and former superintendent of Sewri TB Hospital, said, "It is a subject of research. At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone thought TB patients will be the worst affected as both Covid-19 virus and the TB bacteria are primarily known to attack the lungs. Comparatively, very few TB patients have contracted the infection. The TB regime may have worked to shield them."