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Active symptom screening by health staff may be undertaken by visiting the
homes of those patients at prescribed intervals
House to house visits may be undertaken of all patients notified and treated
by private sector to screen for TB symptoms at prescribed intervals.
Occupational high risk group
Several occupations increase risk for tuberculosis. It is known that thousands of
workers and local residents are exposed to hazardous silica levels during stone
crushing operations and suffer from silicosis, lung cancer, and other lung diseases.
Other occupations include coal and other mining works, tobacco (bidi rolling) and
carpet weaving. Vulnerable and socially marginalised groups including tribal
communities, children and migrant population are often working in these industries
that do not have access to routine health services. Active case finding efforts in
these groups will help to identify those suffering from TB early.
Screening should be done by X-ray and in case X-ray is not available then
symptom screening should be done by holding periodic health camps.
Congregate Settings
People in settings like transit camps, night shelter, old age home, orphanages and
de addiction centres may have ill ventilated and unsanitary environment and hence,
at higher risk of developing tuberculosis.
In all such congregated settings Symptom screening should be done by
holding periodic health camps.
Hard to Reach Areas
People living in difficult, hard to reach and inaccessible areas like certain Tribes or
indigenous population delay seeking health care for their symptoms. They are also
dependent on local informal providers and traditional healers as their first points of
contact for health care, which can lead to delay in diagnosis. Periodic active
screening programmes must be planned and implemented to detect TB cases early
in this population
Symptomatic screening may be done by holding periodic health camps or
even by house to house survey
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