Ramp up early, comprehensive testing to reduce TB incidence and mortality rate: Nadda

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) While India has seen significant improvements in tuberculosis (TB) control, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday urged further reductions in incidence and mortality rates.

Speaking at a high-level meeting with Health Ministers of eight states and Union Territories, Nadda stressed the need to ramp up further TB control through early and comprehensive testing, as India aims to end TB by 2025 -- five years ahead of the global target.

"The national goal is to bring down the TB incidence rate to 47 cases per lakh population and the mortality rate to below 3 per lakh population," he said.

To achieve these targets, states must "re-strategise their TB campaigns, place a sharper focus on vulnerable and high-risk communities", the Minister said, while stressing the importance of expanding access to rapid diagnostic tools, particularly NAAT testing.

According to the WHO Global TB Report 2024, India has witnessed a noteworthy 17.7 per cent decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023, while deaths have reduced by 21.4 per cent from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023.

However, India reported 28 lakh TB cases, accounting for 26 per cent -- the highest -- global TB burden in 2024.

The country also reported an estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29 per cent of the deaths globally.

The Union Minister complimented states for their enthusiastic participation during the 100-day Intensified TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, where 12.97 crore people were screened for TB, with over 7.19 lakh TB patients notified across India, including 2.85 lakh patients who were asymptomatic.

The campaign has now been extended to all districts across the country.

Nadda called for greater Jan Bhagidari to bring about impactful and lasting change in the fight against TB.

He urged states/UTs to integrally involve elected representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions, Municipal Corporations, etc, in the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

At the meeting attended by Health Ministers of Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jharkhand, Nadda also reviewed the progress made on Measles-Rubella elimination and utilisation of funds under PM-ABHIM (Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission) and the 15th Finance Commission.

He commended states on their efforts towards completely eliminating measles-rubella.

However, since some districts in many states are still yet to be free of measles-rubella, he underlined the importance of enhancing immunisation to achieve the goal of elimination of the disease.

The Union Health Minister highlighted that health infrastructure under PM-ABHIM and the 15th Finance Commission needs to be implemented on a war footing to ensure that the funds that have been commissioned are spent efficiently, as only one year is left for their utilisation.

--IANS

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