India’s TB Study Influences Global WHO Guidelines

On 5th August, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a landmark study conducted by India on the role of nutrition in improving tuberculosis (TB) outcomes has helped shape global guidance on combating the disease.

Key Points

Breakthrough RATIONS Study: Conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Jharkhand, the RATIONS study offered the first evidence that enhanced nutritional support significantly reduces TB incidence and mortality.
Regional Urgency: The WHO called on South-East Asia — which bears the highest global TB burden — to urgently scale up research, innovation, and collaboration to meet End TB Strategy targets.
Burden of Disease in 2023: In South-East Asia alone, nearly 5 million people developed TB, with close to 600,000 deaths. TB remains the world’s top infectious disease killer following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Call for Innovation: WHO stressed the importance of adopting new technologies and tools, including artificial intelligence for case detection, digital adherence platforms, and direct benefit transfers to improve patient support.