The present study was conducted in NKP SIMS, RC and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur on Health Care Workers with the aim to diagnose and treat Tuberculosis and Drug Resistant Tuberculosis through Active Case Finding Approach. The Active Case Finding sessions were organised by the Department of Respiratory Medicine in co-ordination with TB Department staff and health workers assigned for project work. 425 Health Care Workers actually visited the ACF session and were symptoms screened and subjected to sputum examination for Acid fast bacilli, Chest X-ray, and if needed higher investigations as per the RNTCP and PMDT diagnostic algorithm. 15 Health Care Workers were found to have active tuberculosis. The more health care workers with TB were noticed to be in 25 to 34 yrs age group and the females outnumbered the males (female 8, male 7) and have been diagnosed as the case of active TB disease in less than 2 yrs of employment (13 out of 15 HCWs). This study reflects that the hospital based active case finding is likely to have additional benefits such as contribution to early case finding and detection of patients of tuberculosis from vulnerable group possibly with an extended benefit for reducing secondary  cases in the community. The results of the study can constitute and evidence base for future policy formulations on Active Case Finding in Health Care Workers as the evidence shows a high burden of active TB in health care workers, necessity an urgent need to improve existing TB Infection, Prevention and Control measures in Health Care Facilities.

Keywords: Active Case Finding in Health Care Workers, Tuberculosis and Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme and Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB Guidelines.      

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Dr SM Khan

Department of Respiratory Medicine, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences, RC and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India