Dibrugarh: Tea garden workers are battling a deadly fungal lung infection called Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) which affects people with weak lungs, a research paper revealed By Umakanta Baruah Some say tea elevates their mood, while others say it is more than a beverage that calms and helps bond. But for those workers who slog in the lush green fields to get us our favourite brew are in the throes of a health concern. And this is what a recent study by Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) doctors has revealed. The paper says a high prevalence of Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) — a life-threatening fungal lung infection has been found among tea garden labourers. The research was carried out by a four-member team from AMCH, Dibrugarh under the supervision of vice-principal of AMC Dr Rima Nath, and senior doctors from the Department of Community Medicine Gaurangi Gogoi, Aishwarya Selvashekhar and Pranami Bora. The doctors did a year-long study on patients in the hospital suffering from a lungs disease, which was predominantly found among people in the tea garden areas. They saw most patients die of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) after being diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). So the AMCH research team started research on chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in four tea gardens within the vicinity of Dibrugarh. They collected samples from 128 patients undergoing treatment at the tea garden hospitals and conducted tests on them. Of these, 14 tuberculosis patients were diagnosed with extremely severe chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) for lungs. Speaking to ETV Bharat, the doctors said that the finding is alarming. "Although there are preventive measures in place, if proper treatment is not done on time, the patient can die," they warned. Why are such cases surging? According to experts from AMCH, tuberculosis is the leading cause of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in the lungs. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) starts when a fungus forms in the weak lungs after the patient suffers from tuberculosis. The research also revealed that the disease is not new but the incidence of people affected is rising. "The reason is lack of awareness about TB among the people. More so because, people in the tea gardens live in densely populated areas," they averred. Doctor’s Take: Explaining that the disease is fungal in nature, team leader Dr Rima Nath said, “It mostly affects vulnerable lungs and main culprit is tuberculosis. Research on this has been going on in different countries but not much work has been done in India. It was only when the Advanced Diagnostic Research Laboratory was set up in 2021 at the Assam Medical College, it became convenient to conduct research on tuberculosis.” As compared to other areas, cases are high in tea garden areas, Dr Nath informed. The study was conducted on patients with symptoms such as persistent cough for three months, bleeding in cough and those with history of tuberculosis in the past. In Dibrugarh, 14 patients were detected with CPA, she added. “But is not only limited to people working in the tea garden areas, even common people in different places are found to be affected with lungs related ailments. It is just that the data from the tea garden area got highlighted as we conducted the research in such locations,” she added. Rubbishing claims that pesticides used in the tea gardens contribute to the cases, she said, the disease affects people affected by tube…