In 2022, India bore the highest burden of Tuberculosis (TB) cases globally, as highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its latest report.
According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023, which was released on Tuesday, approximately 87 percent of the total global TB cases in 2022 originated from 30 countries facing a high TB burden. Among these, eight countries accounted for two-thirds of the cases, with India leading the list at 27 percent. Following India were Indonesia (10 percent), China (7.1 percent), the Philippines (7 percent), Pakistan (5.7 percent), Nigeria (4.5 percent), Bangladesh (3.6 percent), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3 percent).
In India alone, 2.8 million TB cases were reported in 2022, resulting in 342,000 deaths, constituting 12 percent of the cases, according to the report.
Despite these alarming statistics, the subsequent press release from WHO acknowledged India for a reduction in TB cases. However, it emphasized that the progress made fell short of meeting the global targets set in 2018, attributing the setbacks to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts.
The report noted a net decrease in TB-related deaths of 19 percent from 2015 to 2022, considerably below the WHO’s End TB Strategy milestone of a 75 percent reduction by 2025. Similarly, the cumulative reduction in the TB incidence rate during the same period was only 8.7 percent, far from the WHO’s target of a 50 percent reduction by 2025.
Furthermore, the WHO highlighted the financial burden faced by approximately 50 percent of TB patients and their households, with total costs categorized as catastrophic, exceeding 20 percent of total household income.
In response to the WHO report, the Union Health Ministry in India underscored the positive aspects, emphasizing that the report acknowledged the country’s success in reducing the number of TB cases.
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