Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister informed the Lok Sabha about a 19% reduction in tuberculosis (TB) deaths from 5,57,000 in 2010 to 4,49,000 in 2018. He said the government is committed to ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target include80 percent reduction in incidence and a 90 percent reduction in mortality (baseline 2015).

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The Health Minister said, “As per the latest Global TB report, estimated deaths due to TB, HIV in India have reduced by 85 percent from 63,000 in 2010 to 9,700 in 2018.”

He added, including TB HIV total number of due to TB has reduced by 19 percent in India from 5,57,000 in 2010 to 4,49,000 in 2018. The estimated number of new TB cases in India was 26.9 lakh, according to the report.

Also, total number of notified TB patients increased by 18 percent in 2018 (21,55,894) as compared to 2017 (18,27,959).

On citing the report Vardhan said in a written reply, about 59 percent of TB notified cases were from the productive age group of 15 to 44 years in 2018.

The major causes of TB in India are poverty, under-nutrition, poorly ventilated living conditions, air pollution, and tobacco smoking.

A reduction of 217 per one lakh people in 2015 to 199 per one lakh people in 2018 in TB incidence. The mortality has reduced from 36 per one lakh people in 2015 to 33 per one lakh people in 2018.

The Minister said to further achieve the targets, the health ministry is implementing a National Strategic Plan (2017-25) focusing on;

1. Strengthening the existing interventions
2. Early diagnosis of TB patients
3. Prompt treatment with quality-assured drugs
4. Treatment regimens along with suitable patient support system to promote adherence.

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