India launches new TB curing objective, logo

The National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has been revised to provide ?Universal Access to Quality TB (tuberculosis)? care to all patients besides setting a target of successfully detecting and curing 90 percent of TB cases by 2015.

The fresh objective of ?Universal Access? will be marked by the launch of a new DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course) logo that will be in use from the World TB Day 2011 (Mar 24).

The new DOTS logo will also have a fresh slogan- ?DOTS: Pura Course, Pakka Ilaaj? that will emphasis on the full course of the treatment, government release said.

The visual element of the older logo has been retained in the new logo as well, the release mentioned.

The RNTCP was implemented in India by following the WHO-recommended Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy that provides treatment for the patients as they have to go through a six-eight months course which is available free of cost to the patients.

India?s DOTS programme is considered to be the largest in the world with more than 1,25,000 patients undergoing the treatment every month.

More than 2.3 million patients have been saved under the RNTCP programme till the present moment, the government release mentioned.