New Delhi, November 1 (IANS). Tuberculosis (TB) treatment coverage in India is the highest among the 30 most TB-affected countries in the world. This has come to light in a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report.
The report states that India is among the seven countries whose treatment coverage is more than 80%. These countries also include Brazil, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.
Preventive therapy for family members of TB patients and people infected with HIV has also increased in India. According to the report, 12.2 lakh people were given preventive therapy in 2023, while the number was 10.2 lakh in 2022 and 4.2 lakh in 2021.
TB medicines are expensive and treatment can take up to two years, which can add to a family’s expenses. But the government is currently providing free medicines.
According to the report, 89% of common TB patients were cured after treatment. At the same time, 73% of patients in drug-resistant cases and 69% of patients in severe drug-resistant cases were cured.
India has set a target of eliminating TB by 2025, which is five years ahead of the global target. But in 2023, India recorded 28 lakh TB cases, which is the highest in the world and India bears 26% of the global TB burden. There were an estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths in India, which is 29 percent of the global deaths.
The report also noted that the gap between estimated cases and those actually detected through testing is narrowing. There were 25.2 lakh cases confirmed in India in 2023, up from 24.2 lakh in 2022.
Globally, the WHO report found that TB again emerged as the deadliest infectious disease in 2023, overtaking COVID-19.
Nearly 8.2 million new TB cases are expected in 2023, up from 7.5 million cases reported in 2022.
–IANS
AS/