A Death Every Minute by Raman Kakar
A Death Every Minute By Raman Kakar 87 pages
Tuberculosis (tb) is a deadly but silent mass killer. Consider these disturbing facts: There are about 14 million tb patients in India, constituting one-third of the global tb patient populace. Every day about 20,000 Indians contract the disease and more than 1,000 die of it. While the disease is estimated to cost the nation about Rs 12,000 crore annually, the actual economic impact is much higher. tb primarily attacks working adults in the 15 - 50 years age group.
Yet not too many people seem to know about much about Tuberculosis. The destruction caused by the disease is all the more tragic as it is completely curable, if the symptoms are recognised early. What is required is awareness, which is exactly what Raman Kakar, a tb specialist in Faridabad, has set out to do.
As a first step, Kakar advises you to be slightly paranoid and follow the axiom, "No suspicion means no diagnosis." If you are experiencing a longish fever, coughing spells and weight loss, rush to a tb doctor at once.
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