MoHWF India TB Report 2024

• 08 Apr 2024

Recently, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHWF) released the India Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2024.

Key Findings

Missing Cases on the Decline

• The report highlights a significant decrease in "missing cases."
• These are individuals with TB who haven't been diagnosed and can unknowingly spread the infection. In 2023, the number dropped to 2.3 lakh, compared to 3.2 lakh the previous year.
• This reduction is credited to the Ni-kshay portal, a government initiative that effectively tracks TB patients.

Closing Gap between Estimated and Actual Cases

• Narrowing the gap between the estimated number of TB cases and the actual number diagnosed.
• This is important because "missing cases" are assumed not to have received treatment, and can continue to transmit TB.

TB Burden and Mortality

• Despite the positive trends, the estimated number of TB cases remains high, with 27.8 lakh cases in 2023. The number of TB-related deaths remained unchanged at 3.2 lakh.
• These figures highlight the substantial TB burden in India and the need for continued efforts to reduce both incidence and mortality.

Reaching Treatment Targets

• Initiating treatment for 95% of diagnosed TB patients. This signifies a well-functioning healthcare system with efficient treatment initiation processes.
• More patients (58% in 2023 compared to 25% in 2015) are being tested for drug resistance, a crucial step in ensuring they receive the most effective therapies.

Recommendations

• The report shows that India reached its 2023 target of initiating treatment in 95% of patients diagnosed with the infection.
• It says 58% of those diagnosed were offered a test to check whether their infection was resistant to the first line drugs, an increase from 25% in 2015.
• The report suggests drug susceptibility treatment to ensure that persons with drug-resistant TB have access to medicines from the start, rather than being treated with first-line medication immediately.