Centre to launch 100-day TB elimination campaign

New Delhi, Dec 6 : The government on Friday announced to launch a 100-day tuberculosis (TB) elimination campaign, which is in line with the ‘TB-Mukt Bharat’ vision laid out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda, is slated to launch the campaign from Panchkula, Haryana in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and State Health Minister Arti Singh Rao on Saturday, informed the ministry. The campaign underscores the government’s commitment to achieving the goal by addressing the challenges of TB notification and mortality in the country under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

India aims to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030. The initiative, set to be implemented across 347 districts in 33 states and union territories, has been designed to enhance TB case detection, reduce diagnostic delays, and improve treatment outcomes, particularly in high-risk groups.

The 100-day campaign envisages improving programme performance on key output indicators — TB incidence rates, diagnostic coverage, and mortality rates. It also aligns with recent policy enhancements by the Ministry, including increased financial aid for TB patients, under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, and inclusion of household contacts under the social support initiative, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, said the ministry. The initiative will leverage the vast network of Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs across the country that have taken TB services to the last mile. According to the latest government data, nearly 21.69 lakh TB cases have been notified between January and October 2024. TB notification has been a concern in India, but the country has seen improvements in recent years.

The incidence rate of the deadly infectious disease and the related deaths have seen a major decline in the country. The incidence rate of TB in India has shown a 17.7 per cent decline from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 1,00,000 population in 2023. TB deaths have reduced by 21.4 per cent from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023, according to the government. —