TB more dangerous than FLU

Friday 14th August New Delhi 2009 HCFI: TB especially multi drug resistant is more dangerous and contagious that swine flu said Dr KK Aggarwal President, Heart Care Foundation of India, BSNL Dil Ka Darbar, MTNL Perfect Health Mela and Director, IMA AKN Sinha Institute.

Respiratory secretions are of two sizes less than and more than 5 microns. The ones, which are more than 5 microns like H1N1, are heavy and can not remain suspended in the air and immediately will settle down on the surface and are called droplet infections. They need contact precautions and three feet air precautions. Surgical three- layered mask is sufficient to prevent infections spreading to others.

The ones smaller than 5 microns are called droplet-nuclei infections, are lighter, can remain suspended in the air and move from one place to other with the air movement and needs air born precautions including N95 mask, air born isolations rooms with 6 exchanges per hour, HEPA filter exhausts, closed rooms etc.

Most of the centers in the country do not have facilities to tackle TRB, which alone kills over 2500 people in Delhi every year.