Under passive surveillance for tuberculosis, indication for sputum microscopy is cough for______ weeks or more.

Ans. a (2 weeks). (Ref. PARK PSM 22nd/ pg. 395-396)REVISED NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL PROGRAMME (RNTPC)# TB is leading killer of adults globally.# India accounts for nearly l/3rd of global burden.# Although exact and current information on TB incidence and prevalence is not available, studies show an incidence rate of more than 200/1,00,000 amongst the highest in the world.# Without HIV, the lifetime risk of developing TB in TB-infected people is about 10%, compared with at least 50% in HIV- infected, TB-infected people.# An estimated 5,00,000 people die from TB in India every year; more than 1000 /day; 1 every minute.# The DOTs strategy represents the most important public health breakthrough of the decade, in terms of lives, which will be saved.# DOT ensures drug intake, improves care and facilitates defaulter retrieval.# The 5 components of DOTs are: (MH'& ESIS 2006)- Political commitment- Diagnosis by microscopy (best way to diagnose pulmonary TB)- Adequate supply of SCC drugs (Short Chemotherapy course drugs)- Directly observed treatment (Short course)- Accountability.# Microscopy is more accurate than X-ray, & correlates with infectiousness as well as with risk of death from TB.# Inter-observer variability is much less with microscopy than with X-ray.# Ask all patients if they have had cough for 2 weeks or more.# For all patients with cough for 2 weeks or more, ensure that 2 sputum examinations (spot-moming-spot) are done in a designated microscopy center.