India registers 18 pc surge with 21.4 lakh TB cases in 2021: WHO

New Delhi [India], October 28 : India saw a surge of 18 per cent in tuberculosis (TB) cases compared to 2020, after it registered 21.4 lakh tuberculosis cases in 2021. According to the WHO Global TB Report 2022 released on October 27, 2022, 21.4 lakh TB cases were notified in India in 2021, 18 per cent higher than in 2020.
Over 22 crore people were screened for TB in 2021 across the country for early detection and treatment of TB, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a press release.
It stated that India, in fact, performed far better on major metrics as compared to other countries over time.
Under the new initiative Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, more than 40,000 Nikshay Mitra are supporting over 10.45 lakh TB patients all over the country.
The WHO Global TB Report 2022 noted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis, treatment and burden of disease for TB all over the world.
India's TB incidence for the year 2021 is 210 per 100,000 population - compared to the baseline year of 2015 (incidence was 256 per lakh of population in India); there has been an 18 per cent decline which is 7 percentage points better than the global average of 11 per cent. These figures also place India at the 36th position in terms of incidence rates (from largest to smallest incidence numbers), added the MoHFW release.
While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted TB Programmes across the world, India was able to successfully offset the disruptions caused, through the introduction of critical interventions in 2020 and 2021 - this led to the National TB Elimination Programme notifying over 21.4 lakh TB cases - 18 pc higher than 2020.
This success can be attributed to an array of forward-looking measures implemented by the Programme through the years, such as the mandatory notification policy to ensure all cases are reported to the government, added the release.
Further, intensified door-to-door Active Case Finding drives to screen patients and ensure no household is missed has been a pillar of the Programme.
In 2021, over 22 crore people were screened for TB. The aim has been to find and detect more cases to arrest onward transmission of the disease in the community which has contributed to the decline in incidence.
For this purpose, India has also scaled up its diagnostic capability to strengthen detection efforts. Indigenously-developed molecular diagnostics have helped expand the reach of diagnosis to every part of the country today. India has over 4,760 molecular diagnostic machines across the country, reaching every district, added the release.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had communicated to WHO that the Ministry has already initiated domestic studies to arrive at a more accurate estimate of incidence and mortality rates in a systematic manner and India's data will be provided after the conclusion of studies in the early part of 2023.
The WHO has also acknowledged the Health Ministry's position on this and noted in the Report that "estimates of TB incidence and mortality in India for 2000-2021 are interim and subject to finalization, in consultation with India's Ministry of Health & Family Welfare".
The results of the Health Ministry's study, initiated by the Central TB Division (CTD), will be available in approximately six months' time and shared further with WHO.
These steps are in line with India conducting its own National Prevalence Survey to assess the actual TB burden in the country - the world's largest such survey ever conducted. The WHO Report notes that India is the only country to have completed such a survey in 2021, a year which saw "considerable recovery in India," reported the release.
The WHO Report also noted the crucial role of nutrition and undernutrition as contributory factors to the development of active TB disease.
In this respect, the TB Programme's nutrition support scheme - Nikshay Poshan Yojana - has proved critical for the vulnerable. During 2020 and 2021, India made cash transfers of 89 million dollars (Rs 670 crores) to TB patients through a Direct Benefit Transfer programme, added the release.
Moreover, in September 2022, the President of India launched a first-of-its-kind initiative, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan to provide additional nutritional support to those on TB treatment, through contributions from the community including individuals and organizations.
To date, 40,492 donors have come forward to support over 10,45,269 patients across the country, added the release.