Question: What are your views on the use of pan masala (chewing tobacco) and electronic cigarettes during the pandemic?
Dr Tara Singh Bam: Tobacco products should be limited, if not banned, during the pandemic (and beyond). Usage of these products only increases the vulnerability of the user to a host of diseases.
Question: What do you have to say regarding the treatment of TB patients, especially in areas where social distancing is difficult, during the COVID-19?
Dr Tara Singh Bam: People suffering from diseases like TB are more prone to COVID-19 and hence effective measures must be taken to ensure that TB patients are able to receive proper medication, even during the lockdown. Uninterrupted medication for TB patients is an imperative if we want to walk the talk on ending TB. Furthermore, if possible, there must be regular testing of TB patients for COVID-19, to ensure minimal spread.
Darpan Choudhary, Harshal Patidar, Manas Naidu, Niveditha Arjun, Shruti Iyer, Shyam Sunder Shrivastava
(authors are students of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Indore, India and part of the internship at CNS (Citizen News Service) currently)
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