India had highest number of TB cases globally in 2022: WHO

India had highest number of TB cases globally in 2022: WHO

Subject :IR

Section: International Organisation

Context: India had the highest number of TB cases globally in 2022 as per WHO.

More about the news:

• In 2022, India reported the highest number of tuberculosis cases globally, accounting for a staggering 27 percent of the worldwide burden, according to the 2023 Global TB report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Among the top eight high burden countries, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of Congo were also included, with India leading the list.
• India recorded 2.8 million TB cases in 2022, with a case fatality ratio of 12 percent, resulting in an estimated 342,000 deaths, including both HIV-negative and HIV-positive individuals.
• The report emphasizes that multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis, with 110,000 cases recorded in India in 2022.
•  Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme, noted a positive global trend in the number of people diagnosed with TB and treated in 2022, following two years of COVID-related disruptions.
• The report also highlights a global recovery in TB diagnosis and treatment services, showing signs of reversing the adverse effects of COVID-19 disruptions on TB services.
• In 2022, 7.5 million people were diagnosed with TB, marking the highest number since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995.
• The TB incidence rate increased by 3.9 percent between 2020 and 2022, reversing a two-decade-long decline of about 2 percent per year.

What is Tuberculosis:

• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious airborne bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• TB commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other parts (extrapulmonary TB)
• Tuberculosis spreads from person to person through the air, when people who are infected with TB infection cough, sneeze or otherwise transmit respiratory fluids through the air.

What is Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB):

• In MDR-TB, the bacteria that cause TB develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs used to cure the disease.
• MDR-TB does not respond to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful anti-TB drugs.
• Treatment options for MDR-TB are limited and expensive.
• CBNAAT (Cartridges Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) is used for early diagnosis of MDR-TB.

What is Extensively Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB):

• XDR-TB is a form of multidrug-resistant TB with additional resistance to more anti-TB drugs.
• People who are resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs i.eamikacin, kanamycin, capreomycin are said to have XDR-TB

What is National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination:

• It is a framework to guide the activities of all stakeholders whose work is relevant to TB elimination in India.
• It provides goals and strategies for the country’s response to the disease during the period 2017 to 2025.
• It aims to direct the attention of all stakeholders on the most important interventions or activities that the RNTCP believes will bring about significant changes in the incidence, prevalence and mortality of TB.
• It will guide the development of the national project implementation plan (PIP) and state PIPs, as well as district health action plans (DHAP) under the national health mission (NHM).

What are some other government measures:

• The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme(NTEP) – Aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India . It was previously known as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).
• The National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination – It was launched to achieve the target of ending TB by 2025 in a mission mode.It is a multi-pronged approach which aims to detect all TB patients with an emphasis on reaching TB patients seeking care from private providers and undiagnosed TB in high-risk populations
• Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana(Nutritional Support to TB) –  It helps to meet the nutritional requirements of TB patients, especially the underserved
• Patient Provider Support Agencies (PPSA) – To engage the private sector, Patient Provider Support Agencies (PPSA) have been rolled out across 250 districts through the domestic setup and JEET initiative
• Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) – To ensure every diagnosed TB patient is tested to rule out drug resistance before or at the time of treatment initiation itself.
• Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan – To bring together all community stakeholders to support those on TB treatment and accelerate the country’s progress towards TB elimination.
• Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres – To decentralize comprehensive primary healthcare including TB care services at the grassroots level.
• Bedaquiline and Delamanid-Newer drugs likeBedaquiline and Delamanid have also been made available for management of DR-TB.