Capping TB By 2025 A Colossal Task?

Experts from the global TB community welcome the government’s move to eradicate TB from India by 2025, but also fear that it is too ambitious

- Prathiba Raju

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global pandemic and continues to be a huge public health threat in India. It currently has 27 per cent of the world’s new TB cases, which is around 2.8 million. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the country holds the dubious distinction of being the TB capital of the world as around 480,000 people died due to the disease in 2014. As per Stop TB, 1:4 people with TB worldwide is an Indian.

Although the annual incidence of TB has reduced from 289 persons per 100,000 in year 2000 to 217 per 100,000 in 2015, eliminating TB would necessitate a dramatic reduction to less than one person per 10,00,000.

Leaders from the healthcare domain inform that eradicating TB is more of tackling social determinants as the risk factors of TB are tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, diabetes, HIV, malnutrition, overcrowded living conditions, under-diagnosis and the use of unclean fuels for cooking and heating. As a large number of people get treated late or are unsuccessfully treated, or remain untreated, the disease become a menace of huge proportions.

Ending TB @ 2025 – A collective endeavour

Therefore, it is time to get our act together to combat TB. As Prof Madhukar Pai, Associate Director, McGill International TB Centre, Canada, told Express Healthcare, “A big question for the TB community now is this: How do we hold our leaders accountable for their big declarations and commitments? The world is watching whether India will follow up on prime minister’s commitment with the substantially increased budget that is required, and rapidly execute the ambitious TB Free India campaign. 2025 is just seven years away and the clock is ticking.”