TB Deaths Decrease by 35% in Chennai, India

Tuberculosis deaths in the Indian city of Chennai have decreased by 35% over the past four years, in part because of increased use of DOTS, the Times of India reports. The number of TB deaths in the city decreased from 497 deaths in 2004 to 321 deaths in 2008, according to the Times of India.

In addition, the TB treatment success rate has increased from 25% to 84%, Aleyamma Thomas, a physician at Chennai's Tuberculosis Research Centre, said. Thomas added, "If we are able to intensify [DOTS] further with early diagnosis and continuous monitoring, we can bring down the number of deaths further." According to the Times of India, the decrease in TB deaths corresponds with a decrease in HIV/AIDS incidence in the city. Increased efforts to provide HIV-positive people with information about TB and other opportunistic infections also have contributed to the decrease in TB deaths, the Times of India reports (Narayan, Times of India, 1/16).