India offers high treatment coverage against TB: WHO

NEW DELHI: India has one of the highest levels of treatment coverage for tuberculosis, among the 30 high TB burden countries, revealed a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report showed that India is among seven of 30 high TB-burden countries -- Brazil, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia -- with more than 80 per cent of treatment coverage in 2023.

The country also achieved a significant increase in the number of people receiving preventative therapy for household contacts of TB patients and people living with HIV, the report showed.

According to the report, 12.2 lakh people in India were put on preventive therapy in 2023, up from 10.2 lakh in 2022, and 4.2 lakh in 2021.

While TB medicines are expensive and the therapy may continue for as long as two years, increasing household expenditures, the government is currently offering free drugs.

The treatment was successful in 89 per cent of the people with drug-susceptible TB; 73 per cent of those with an infection resistant to one of the common medicines rifampicin or resistant to multiple drugs; and 69 per cent of those with extremely drug-resistant TB.

India aims to end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target, but the country reported 28 lakh TB cases, accounting for 26 per cent -- the highest -- global TB burden.

India also reported an estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29 per cent of the deaths globally.

The report also showed a narrowing of the gap in the estimated number of cases and the number of people actually getting diagnosed. India reported 25.2 lakh cases in 2023, increasing from 24.2 lakh the previous year, the report said.

Globally, the WHO report noted that TB again emerged as the leading infectious disease killer in 2023, surpassing Covid-19.

In 2023, about 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB -- the highest number and a notable increase from 7.5 million reported in 2022.