What's New :
14th May 2025 (12 Topics)

Tuberculosis (TB)

Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi  called for scaling up targeted interventions and successful strategies in early detection to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

About Tuberculosis (TB)

  • TB is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which belongs to a family of around 200 bacteria species called
  • Types of TB:TB primarily affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) in humans. However, it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
  • Historical Context:TB is an ancient disease, with evidence of its existence dating back to 3000 BC in Egypt.
  • Treatability:TB is treatable and curable with appropriate medication and management.
  • Transmission:TB spreads from person to person through the air. When individuals with lung TB cough, sneeze, or spit, they release TB germs into the air, which can be inhaled by others.
  • Treatment: Current biomedical strategies to reduce new infections include the
    • BCG vaccine, which protects against severe forms of childhood TB
    • Tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) which aims to cover other household contacts, clinical-risk groups apart from children younger than five years and household contacts with HIV
    • Effective rifamycin-based regimes

WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024

  • India tops the list of 30 high-burden TB countries, accounting for 26 per cent of the global TB burden.
  • There is an 18 per cent reduction in TB incidence in India—from 237 to 195 per 100,000 population—between 2015 and 2023, which is nearly double the global pace of around 9 per cent.
  • TB mortality in India fell by 21 per cent, while treatment coverage rose to 85 per cent.
  • Key-Government Initiatives:
    • India has set 2025 as its target year for TB elimination—five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 2030.
    • PM Ni-kshay scheme: Launched in 2018, the scheme provides financial support to TB patients through direct benefit payments of Rs 1,000 per month to help them afford nutritious food during their treatment.
    • 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: The recently concluded 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which screened 129.7 million people in 445 high-focus and aspirational districts across India. The campaign led to the detection of around 719,000 new TB cases, of which 285,000 were asymptomatic.
    • National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP)
    • National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025)
    • TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign
    • TB Free India Campaign

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