Data Shows That Chances Of Tuberculosis Is Reduced In Houses With Clean Fuels

Statistics from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) show a strong indication that the increased adoption of cleaner fuel such as cooking gas may reduce the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in India, reports Mint. Data from the 2015-16 survey showed a high level of disparity in prevalence of TB depending on what kind of fuel was used. Houses using solid cooking fuels as opposed to cleaner fuels have shown higher instances of TB being present.

India is among the top countries affected with tuberculosis (2.79 million in 2016) with the highest number of deaths (42.9 million in 2016). Around 44 per cent of Indian households use cooking gas with the survey saying that the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) which aims to provide free liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections to 50 million households might help reduce the occurrence of TB altogether.

Experts says that exposure to smoke inside the house led to higher levels of pollution, which indirectly increases the risk of contracting TB and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).