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India Remains Global Epicenter of Tuberculosis, Despite Elimination Efforts
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Despite ambitious national goals, India continues to bear the heaviest burden of tuberculosis (TB) globally, accounting for a quarter of all cases and a importent proportion of drug-resistant strains and related deaths, according to a new report from the World health Organization (WHO). The Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 reveals that while progress has been made as 2010, India’s fight against TB faces substantial hurdles as it approaches a self-imposed 2025 elimination deadline.
Tuberculosis remains a critical global health threat, impacting over 1 crore people and claiming over 12 lakh lives worldwide in 2024. The WHO report highlights that eight countries account for two-thirds of all incident cases, with India leading the way, responsible for 25% of the total. Indonesia follows distantly with 10%, while the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%), Pakistan (6.3%), Nigeria (4.8%), the Democratic republic of the Congo (3.9%), and Bangladesh (3.6%) also contribute significantly to the global burden.
India’s struggle is particularly pronounced in the realm of drug-resistant TB,accounting for 32% of global cases of rifampicin-resistant TB – a major public health concern. Globally, four countries – India, China, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation – account for over half of all multidrug-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) cases reported in 2024. The country also accounts for 28% of TB-related deaths among individuals without HIV and 25% among those with HIV.
A Plateau in Progress
In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a bold initiative to eliminate TB in India by 2025 – five years ahead of the United Nations’ 2030 target. Initial progress saw incidence rates decline from 237 per 100,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 100,000 in 2023, representing a 17.7% reduction. However, recent data indicates a plateau in these gains.
According to Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare anupriya Patel, India reported 25.5 lakh TB cases in 2023 and a record 26.07 lakh cases in 2024. Government officials attribute this increase not to a resurgence of the disease, but to improved screening and detection processes, identifying cases previously missed.
The Challenge of Drug Resistance
A key obstacle in India’s TB fight is the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). A 2018 survey revealed that one in four new TB patients exhibited resistance to at least one of 13 key treatment drugs, posing a serious threat to accomplished treatment outcomes. “Upfront NAAT testing identifies resistance at diagnosis,
