The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted big progress in India’s fight against tuberculosis (TB).

In its latest report, WHO said that TB cases in India dropped by 18%, going from 237 cases per lakh in 2015 to 195 cases per lakh in 2023.

This decline is over twice as fast as the global average, which saw only an 8% decrease.

Officials say this progress comes from India’s push to find and treat TB cases. Over 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country have helped make healthcare more accessible.

Last year, WHO had already adjusted its estimate of TB deaths in India. Now, the new report shows that TB deaths fell even more, from 28 per lakh to 22 per lakh — a 21% drop.

India’s TB budget has also grown a lot, from Rs 640 crores in 2015 to Rs 3,400 crores in 2022-23, mostly funded by the government.

The health ministry is also adding more than 800 portable chest X-ray machines with AI support to boost TB testing.

Right now, India has the biggest TB lab network globally, with 7,767 rapid testing centers and 87 drug testing labs across the country.

In September, the government approved a new treatment plan, called the BPaLM regimen, for tackling Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) under its National TB Elimination Program.

This treatment is shorter and highly effective. India also reported a slight rise in new TB cases, with 19.8 lakh cases reported between January and September 2024, up from 19 lakh during the same period last year.

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