TB Free India by 2025

In News: Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs High-Level Meet to review the launch of Jan-Andolan against Tuberculosis.

Key Highlights of the Meeting

• The Ministry of Health wants to declare 2021 as the year of Tuberculosis.
• Gains from the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme would feed into creating greater demand for services, de-stigmatize the disease and help realize the goal of a TB-free India by 2025.
• To further strengthen TB management and service delivery, engagement of the wider population and the spirit of Jan Andolan should be ensured through the following.
  • Generation of awareness.
  • Encouragement of health care seeking behaviour within the communities.
  • De-stigmatization of TB.
• Lessons can be drawn from COVID pandemic management.
• National Technical Support Unit (NTSU) was also proposed to be set up.
  • It will support the Government of India’s efforts, both nationally and in states.
  • It will help strengthen on-ground program delivery by employing various advocacy and communications approaches to generate demand and create awareness on the services available under the TB program.

National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)

• Elimination as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), means that there should be less than 1 person with TB for a population of a million people.
• Current Status: India accounts for about a quarter of the global TB burden.
  • In 2018 the estimated TB incidence was 2,690,000.
  • An estimated 9,700 HIV positive people died due to TB disease.
  • An estimated 440,000 HIV negative people died.
• India is also the country with the second-highest number (after South Africa) of estimated HIV associated TB cases.
• Worldwide India is the country with the highest burden of both TB and MDR TB.
  • The estimated incidence of people with MDR/RR-TB is 130,000.
  • The level of drug resistant TB is one of the factors that may cause India not to reach the target of elimination by 2025.
• After partial success of NTEP, a Revised NTEP (RNTEP) was launched with National Strategic Plan 2017-2025.

National Strategic Plan 2017 – 2025

• The financial resources for TB control for 2017 – 2025 are to be doubled.
• The diagnostic tool CB-NAAT is to be rolled out across the country.
• The two new drugs Bedaquiline and Delamanid are also scheduled for a broader rollout.
• First and second-line drug susceptibility testing is in use or at least on the agenda.
• Also, patients with TB are tested for HIV and patients with HIV are tested for TB.
• Drug treatment is moving from intermittent therapy to daily fixed-dose combinations.
• The private sector is to be engaged and the Prime Minister has added his voice to the crescendo of endorsement.

Source: PMIndia