India accounts for 26% of global TB cases: WHO report
Five countries accounted for 56 per cent of the worldwide total cases of tuberculosis, of which India shares 26 per cent.
The Global TB Report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in 2023, WHO African and South-East Asia regions accounted for 81 per cent of the combined total number of deaths caused by TB among people with and without HIV. India accounted for 26 per cent of such deaths, the report said.
The other countries where the burden of TB cases are high include Indonesia (10 per cent), China (6.8 per cent), the Philippines (6.8 per cent) and Pakistan (6.3 per cent).
India also has the highest number of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases worldwide. MDR-TB is a type of TB caused by bacteria that are resistant to at least two of the main TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampin. In 2023, India is estimated to have had 27 lakh TB cases, of which 25.1 lakh persons were diagnosed and put on treatment. This has buoyed India’s treatment coverage to 89 per cent in 2023 from 72 per cent in 2015, thereby bridging the gap of missing cases.
In September 2024, the Union Health Ministry approved introduction of the BPaLM regimen — a novel treatment for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) under its National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) as a highly effective and shorter treatment option.
The current report documents sustained reduction in deaths due to TB achieved by India from 28 per lakh population to 22 per lakh population, a 21.4 per cent decline.
