India's Progress in Tuberculosis Management

Key Highlights on India's Tuberculosis (TB) Progress

1. Incidence Reduction:

   • TB incidence in India fell by 21% from 237 cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh by 2024.
   • This decline is significantly higher than the global average of 12% as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Global TB Report 2025.

2. Innovative Case Finding:

   • The country's approach includes swift adoption of newer technologies, decentralisation of services, and extensive community mobilization.
   • Treatment coverage surged to over 92% in 2024, from just 53% in 2015.
   • 26.18 lakh TB patients were diagnosed in 2024, with an estimated incidence of 27 lakh cases.

3. Reduction of Missing Cases:

   • "Missing cases" (those undiagnosed) decreased dramatically from an estimated 15 lakh in 2015 to less than one lakh in 2024.

4. Multidrug-Resistant TB:

   • No significant increase in the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB patients reported.
   • The treatment success rate for India's TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan increased to 90%, surpassing the global average of 88%.

5. Mortality Rate Improvement:

   • TB mortality rate reduced from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh in 2024, indicating positive progress in mortality reduction related to TB.

6. TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan:

   • Launched in December 2024, the flagship mission has screened over 19 crore vulnerable individuals across India.
   • This extensive outreach led to the detection of over 24.5 lakh TB patients, including 8.61 lakh asymptomatic cases.

Conclusion

India's proactive measures and strategic initiatives in TB detection and treatment have yielded considerable enhancements in health outcomes, indicating significant progress towards TB elimination. The combination of community mobilization, advanced technology application, and strong governance through schemes like the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is crucial in these outcomes. This progress is vital for meeting both national health goals and global tuberculosis elimination targets.