India Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2024

Posted 21 May 2024

3 min read

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released India TB Report 2024.

Notified TB patients: 25.52 lakh TB patients in 2023 (increase from 24.22 lakh cases in 2022).
Reporting of cases: ~67% reporting being done by the public sector and ~33%) from private sector.
Treatment Success rate among notified Drug-Resistant TB (DR-TB): 65%
Achievements:
- Target of initiating treatment in 95% of patients diagnosed with the infection was achieved in 2023.
- Decline in Incidence of TB (new cases emerging each year): 16% in comparison to 2015
- Reduction in mortality: 18% in comparison to 2015
- Increase in proportion of notified TB patients receiving financial support through Direct Benefit Transfer: 70% (against a target of 90% by 2023)

It is an infectious disease caused by bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria which most often affects lungs and is known as pulmonary TB.
- Extrapulmonary TB is the TB which affects other areas of the body. (e.g. gastrointestinal TB, skeletal TB, liver TB)
Transmission: By air when an infected person coughs, speaks, laughs, sings, or sneezes.
Common symptoms: Prolonged cough (sometimes with blood), chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, fever, night sweats.
Tests for Identification: Xpert MTB, RIF Ultra and Truenat assays.
Treatment: Tuberculosis is preventable and curable.
- Most common medications include isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, streptomycin etc.
- Bacillle Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is also available for its prevention.
Drug-Resistant TB are Tuberculosis that doesn’t respond to standard drugs.

Enable Early Detection by increasing the use of chest X-ray, strengthening of referral networksfor better screening of patients.
Precise Treatment Categorization such as resistance status of TB at the beginning of diagnosis can help in assigning appropriate treatment regimens.
Long-term and sustained treatment should be ensured by regular follow-ups and considering portability of treatment.
Nutritional Support to patients (E.g. a 2023 Lancet study found that nutritional support in a 'RATIONS' trial in Jharkhand reduced the risk of death in lung TB patients).
Dynamic Notification System for improved notification system to capture real-time TB data.
Decentralizing TB service delivery to the level of “Ayushman Arogya Mandirs”.
- E.g., TB-WIN platform was launched in India for registration of the Adult BCG Vaccination beneficiaries.
Increase Investment can lead to better outcomes.
- As per WHO study, for every dollar spent on screening of TB, there is potential benefit of $39.

The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP): Aims to reduce TB burden by 2025, five years ahead of global target of 2030.
Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan: Launched toprovide additional patient support, augment community involvement and leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
Nikshay Poshan Yojana: It has been launched to provide for financial incentive of Rs 500 for TB patients registered on Nikshay Portal.
National TB Call Centre – Ni-kshay SAMPARK: To address patients’ queries related to TB and providing tele-counseling on treatment.
TB Mukt Panchayat Initiative: Aims to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions to understand TB issues, take necessary actions.
Tribal TB Initiative: To address TB among the tribal communities of India.
Mission Indradhanush: BCG vaccine is provided under the mission.

#ENDTB Strategy with goals of-
- 95% reduction by 2035 in number of TB deaths compared with 2015.
- 90% reduction by 2035 in TB incidence rate compared with 2015.
- Zero TB-affected families facing catastrophic costs due to TB by 2035.
TB vaccine accelerator Council: To facilitate the development, testing, authorization, and use of new TB vaccines.