Target for TB Elimination in India - Is it Achievable?

What does elimination of TB in India mean?

World Health Organisation’s (WHO) End TB Strategy has set the target for TB elimination globally at 2035.¹ But India has set its own target for TB elimination a decade earlier that is at 2025. With 17% of the world population, India contributes to a quarter of TB cases of the world; the incidence of TB being 204 per lakh population with 31/lakh dying due to TB every year.² To eliminate TB means to reduce the incidence to less than 10 cases per 100,000 population.¹ The reduction from 204 to less than 10 is an uphill task for the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Though RNTCP still retains some vertical structure, it is mostly integrated with the other programmes in the health system under the National Health Mission. Therefore the success of the programme depends to a great extent on the health infrastructure and manpower available in the states. To be more specific, elimination of TB will be determined by the performance of the states and the country in the six components of the health system. Read More...