KOZHIKODE: The new treatment for tuberculosis to be rolled out in January will benefit close to 23,000 TB patients in the state. The daily regime treatment will replace the existing one of taking drugs three times a week in Maharashtra, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim besides Kerala. According to the state TB cell, there were 22,785 TB patients in 2015 with the maximum cases in Thiruvananthapuram (2,386) and the least in Idukki (556). In the third quarter of this year (July, Aug, Sept) as many as 5,725 cases were detected, including 240 children under the age of 12.

“The advantage of the daily regime treatment is that patients can take less number of tablets. The less the weight of the patient, less tablets he/she has to consume,” said state TB officer Dr A.P. Parvathy. Currently, the patients in the weight category of 30 kg-60 kg have to take seven tablets a day and hence 21 tablets a week. This will be reduced to two to five tablets a day according to the weight of the person.

“The cut in the tablets happened as four tablets were converted into one according to the fixed drug combination. The adult TB patients were classified into four according to their weight under the daily regime treatment—25 kg-39 kg, 40 kg-54 kg, 55 kg-69 kg and above 70 kg,” said district TB officer Dr P.P. Pramod Kumar. The number of TB patients is dwindling in the state, as per statistics.