Latest news with #NationalTBEliminationProgramme
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Puducherry accelerates its fight against TB; ranks number one in IRL for chest diseases
Puducherry's Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL)based at the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases has been ranked number one for overall performance of lab activities catering not just to catering not just to Tuberculosis (TB) patients in Puducherry but serves Tamil Nadu and beyond – with a capacity of conducting 1.2 lakhs tests annually, said S. Govindarajan, mission director, Puducherry State Health Society (PSHS). An IRL in the context of TB is a State-level laboratory within the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) which serves as a crucial link between peripheral labs and national reference labs, providing advanced diagnostic services and supporting the overall TB control efforts. 'We increased TB testing rate to 5,268 per lakh population in the first quarter of 2025 marking an 136% increase as compared to 2015,' he added. Speaking to The Hindu he explained that though Puducherry is battling a relatively high TB death rate of nearly 10 per cent (most deaths attributed to patients from neighbouring states) has now also emerged as a frontrunner in TB testing as it ramped up examinations of presumptive patients from 2,233 per lakh population in 2015 to 2,526 per lakh population in 2024. Presumptive TB refers to individuals exhibiting symptoms or signs suggestive of tuberculosis (TB). These individuals are then considered for further diagnostic confirmation to determine if they have active TB disease. The Union Territory in a bid to curb community transmission and bring down the incidence of TB, has been conducting door-to-door active case finding driver with special focus on vulnerable populations who might not display TB symptoms. 'In 2023, together with medical colleges, the State TB Cell screened 5.2 lakh individuals for TB – over 42,000 individuals using the ultraportable hand-held chest X-ray machines. Patients with abnormalities were further tested using the modern diagnostics – NAAT,' explained C. Venkatesh, State TB officer. He noted that recently the Union Territory, as part of Central Government's TB elimination programme, mapped 3,74,281 vulnerable people and screened 3.8 lakh people, covering 102% of the target. Over 24,000 individuals at a high risk of TB, who might not have displayed the typical symptoms of TB, were screened following which over 15,000 presumptive patients were tested using upfront NAAT – the gold standard of TB testing. 'This targeted approach by Puducherry is a game changer in early diagnosis of TB and is boosting the UT's chance at TB elimination goal,' said Dr. Venkatesh. According to experts India has shown progress in reducing the TB incidence rate, with a 17.7% decline from 2015 to 2023 but the absolute number of cases remains high 'India has strengthened its TB response with advanced diagnostics, innovative policies, private sector partnerships, and a patient-first approach,' said the Union Health Ministry.
Mint
24-06-2025
- Health
- Mint
India restricts sale of off-patent TB medicines to government channels to combat drug resistance
New Delhi: India will make new and off-patent tuberculosis drugs available only through government channels to curb resistance to the drugs and boost efforts to fight the disease, documents reviewed by Mint showed. 'The drug should be used as per Standards of TB Care in India (STCI) guidelines with the conditional access through the National TB Elimination Programme only," the apex drug regulator said in a letter to all states and Union Territories. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) emphasised that the labels of all such TB drugs and their packaging should carry a warning in a box with a red background, stating: "For the use in National TB Elimination Programme only." It said these medicines are critical drugs that are reserved for the treatment of Multi-Drug-Resistant TB infection. Availability of such drugs in the open market through retail outlets may lead to indiscriminate use and development of resistance, causing treatment failure. Also Read | Govt disburses ₹3,649 crore to 12 million tuberculosis patients for nutrition The regulator asked the states and UTs to amend the conditions of all licences already granted to manufacture such drugs and incorporate the clause on their restricted usage. It also sought action-taken reports from them. The DGCI directive pertains to drugs such as Bedaquiline (100 mg and 20 mg), Delamanid (50 mg and 25 mg), Pretomanid (100 mg), and Rifapentine (150 mg and 300 mg), said an official with knowledge of the matter. Patents for Bedaquiline and Delamanid expired last year, leading to their widespread manufacture by several pharmaceutical companies and their subsequent open availability in private drug stores. The Central TB Division had raised concerns about the easy availability of these TB drugs in October last year and sought the DCGI's intervention to regulate their sale. Latent TB infection The drugs are vital components of the combination therapy for latent TB infection, when an infected person has no symptoms and cannot spread the disease to others, and Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Rifapentine and a fixed dose combination of Rifapentine and Isoniazid have been approved for the treatment of latent TB infection. Last year, India rolled out a six-month MDR-TB regimen called BPaL (Bedaquiline, Pretomanid and Linezolid), which has a very high success rate and treatment outcome. These medicines are provided free to patients in both government and private healthcare set-ups. TB medicines are approved for import/manufacturing by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation in consultation with the Subject Expert Committee and experts from the Central TB Division at the ministry of health and family welfare. Also Read | New AI model could guide personalised treatments for tuberculosis: Study 'The matter was discussed last week during the Drugs Consultative Committee meeting chaired by the DCGI," the person said. 'These drugs will primarily be distributed through government channels under the National TB Elimination Programme to hospitals and TB treatment centres, allowing for detailed tracking of manufacturers and patients." Elimination campaign Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the National TB Elimination Programme and called for strategies to be scaled up to meet India's commitment to eliminate TB. At a recent 100-Day TB elimination campaign, over almost 720,000 TB cases were detected across the country, including 285,000 asymptomatic cases, highlighting the challenge and the importance of controlled drug access. Also Read | Lupin recalls over 16,000 bottles of generic tuberculosis drug in the US citing manufacturing issue TB is a contagious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mainly affects the lungs. It can also affect other parts of the body such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. India reported 2.6 million TB cases last year. Despite the challenges, India has made significant strides in its fight against TB. The WHO Global TB Report 2024 indicates an 18% reduction in TB incidence and a 21% decline in TB mortality from 2015 to 2023, double the global pace. With an 85% treatment coverage, India is steadily nearing its TB elimination target. Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson and the DCGI's office were unanswered.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Punjab looks to expand community support for TB patients
Chandigarh: Buoyed by signs of a reduction in the tuberculosis (TB) burden, Punjab is now aiming to expand the reach of Nikshay Mitra, a community support initiative that provides nutritional and treatment assistance to TB patients, to further improve treatment outcomes. Nationally, TB prevalence ranges from 137 to 747 cases per lakh population. In Punjab, the prevalence decreased from 314 to 217 cases per lakh, marking a significant step forward in the state's fight against TB. Caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB primarily affects the lungs and spreads through the air. It is both preventable and curable. As of now, 28,593 TB patients in Punjab are receiving treatment, and 20,252 of them are enrolled in the Nikshay Mitra programme, which is supported by 792 donors, including corporates, NGOs, institutions, elected representatives, and individuals. From Jan 1 to June 19, 30,106 TB cases were notified—19,539 through public health facilities and 10,567 through private facilities. Ludhiana reported the highest number of cases (6,343), followed by Amritsar (4,325), Jalandhar (3,164), and Patiala (3,027). The Nikshay Mitra scheme allows contributors to support TB patients by providing nutritional assistance, diagnostic services, and livelihood opportunities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Patients receive Rs 1,000 per month to support dietary needs during treatment. In addition, private health facilities receive Rs 500 for every TB case reported, along with an additional Rs 500 if the patient's treatment outcome is successfully reported. The govt also provides Rs 500 to non-salaried individuals diagnosed with TB. Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, head, Punjab TB Cell, said that several initiatives are under way to raise awareness about the programme and encourage greater community participation. He also shared that Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria instructed all deputy commissioners and civil surgeons to actively reach out to potential donors in their respective districts. A list of local industries and NGOs has been circulated to support this effort, and additional engagement is planned at the state level. To further strengthen TB control efforts, state and district-level strategic intervention plans have been developed under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), targeting high-burden areas. All TB patients are provided free drugs and diagnostic services, and active case-finding campaigns are being conducted among vulnerable and high-risk populations. Governor steps up support Dr Bhaskar shared that governor Gulab Chand Kataria personally adopted 100 TB patients and asked the health department to identify another 100 patients each from two districts. These new patients will receive his support after the current six-month support period for the initial group of 100 patients from Tarn Taran concludes. TB Cases Notified District | Public notified | Private notified Ludhiana | 2,753 | 3,590 Amritsar | 2,412 | 1,913 Jalandhar | 1,544 | 1,620 Patiala | 1,640 | 1,387 MSID:: 121883101 413 |
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
A For Accountability And Audit For TB Deaths Is Missing In #EndTB Response
This article is an insight from former Chief Scientist of WHO HQ Dr Soumya and others on why TB death audit is necessary so that we can find out the reasons why a person died of a curable disease and avert such tragedies in future. May 15, 2025 When TB is preventable and curable then why over 1.1 million people died of it worldwide in 2023 (as per the latest WHO Global TB Report 2024)? Even one TB death is a death too many. Most of these deaths took place in low- and middle-income countries. Unless we find what went wrong and what could have done better, how would we ever improve TB programmes in order to avert these untimely deaths? A young woman of 19 years old died of TB in Delhi (India). When experts looked at the case, it became evident that it was a failure of the system. This girl was a poor migrant worker. Her father had died of TB. Her sister too had TB. They were seeking healthcare from the private sector and they fell through the cracks. 'Probably, they could not continue the treatment regularly … nobody was tracking them… or following up on them … and by the time she was admitted in LRS Institute (now known as National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases or NITRD), she had a very extensive bilateral disease and she ended up dying,' said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Principal Advisor of National TB Elimination Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Dr Soumya earlier served as Chief Scientist of World Health Organization (WHO) and Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). 'At NITRD they had put her on the ventilator, they did everything possible but could not save her,' said Dr Swaminathan. She was speaking at a special WHO session at World Health Summit regional meeting. A 19-years old girl died in India's national capital Delhi, which has state-of-the-art TB and healthcare infrastructure in public sector too. She died of drug-sensitive TB (which means her TB bacteria was NOT resistant to any TB medicine). 'Such cases are occurring everyday but are we paying attention to that? Are we learning lessons? Are we trying to improve the system?' asks Dr Swaminathan. Despite being curable, TB is the deadliest infectious disease globally TB is the deadliest infectious disease worldwide. It killed more people even during the COVID-19 pandemic in many high-burden TB settings. It mostly impacts the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable. So, given the inequities and injustices that ail us globally, it becomes less visible to those who are among the privileged few. India is home to the largest number of people with TB globally (2.8 million). WHO Global TB Report 2024 states that 323,200 TB deaths took place in India in 2023, which amounts to almost 900 TB deaths everyday. A for Accountability and A for Audit of every TB death is a must When governments united worldwide to reduce maternal mortality and adopted Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, they delivered on it and maternal deaths declined significantly by 2015. 'Reducing maternal mortality had been among the important MDG goals. Governments and communities could deliver on it significantly through certain key interventions- like institutional deliveries and better antenatal and postnatal care, among others. To address the primary causes of maternal mortality, collectors of each district undertook a maternal death audits every month. For every maternal death which occurred, everybody had to sit together and understand and explain why that death was not preventable. Why cannot we have a similar approach to audit TB deaths?' asks Dr Soumya Swaminathan. 'I would suggest that a community medicine department or a public health department of a local medical college in that state be assigned this role to do TB audits. It should not be the TB programme itself doing TB death audit, but it should be presented with the analysis and reasons for TB deaths by those who are doing it,' said Dr Swaminathan. Many countries have made significant progress in reducing TB deaths. But still case fatality rate (number of people who die among those who are diagnosed) is high – it hovers around 10%. For example, in India out of 2.55 million cases that were notified to the TB programme, TB deaths were 323,200 (13%) in 2023. TB death rates are higher for drug-resistant forms of TB. 'China has a TB death rate of 3 per 100,000 population. India has a TB death rate of 22 per 100,000 population,' points out Dr Swaminathan, calling for stronger action to save lives. 'This high mortality for a disease that is treatable is of concern. TB mostly affects people who are in the 25-55 age group, which is an important economically productive one. If we calculate the economic loss to the country because of TB deaths- with people in economically productive age group falling ill and some even dying of TB- then it could be a huge economic burden as well. If we add secondary costs, then it would be way more,' said Dr Swaminathan. 'But more important than economic loss are those individuals who die of a preventable and treatable illness. We must do our best to understand the data and do proper analysis of TB deaths.' Dr Swaminathan shared an example from Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state where the state government has partnered with National Institute of Epidemiology (an institute of Indian Council of Medical Research) to audit TB deaths and help improve clinical management of TB patients to avert such deaths in future. Dr Swaminathan reflected that people need to get the right care at the right time. They may have TB disease but they also have other conditions, such as severe malnourishment, high blood pressure, diabetes, other co-morbidities, or they come from such a poor background that they cannot access the care they need. TB-related stigma lurks even today which further jeopardises equitable access to care and services. Alcoholism is another major risk factor for TB, she said. 'I have been to hospital wards and seen how people become sick or non-adherent to therapy due to alcoholism.' If we can identify early on, other co-morbidities or conditions a person with TB has then we can perhaps try to tailor our care and services to help and support them finish their TB treatment. She rued that 'Very often hospitals refuse admission for TB patients for one reason or the other.' Hospitals must not refuse admission to needy TB patients. She advises that TB related hospital admission and care should be covered with Indian government health insurance scheme so that hospitals get compensated for admitting and caring for a severely ill person. Once a person is admitted in the hospital then the medical management can try to address specific needs, such as nutritional support, insulin for those with diabetes, help quitting alcoholism, among others. In tribal areas of India, TB patients are more likely to have severe malnutrition and severe anaemia. 'I have looked at death reports from the tribal districts of female patients of 21- 23 years of age have died of drug-sensitive TB with no underlying co-morbidities.' A sincere TB death audit can help us avert such tragedies in future. Dr Swaminathan hopes that in the next National Strategic Plan to end TB of government of India, we would find these gaps that put people at risk of TB death and address them effectively. We also need to have a similar approach in other southeast Asian countries as well, she said. 'Reducing TB mortality significantly can be achieved.' Learnings must come from people on the ground 'Learnings must come from people on the ground, such as, district TB officers, treatment supervisors, laboratory supervisors, TB health visitors, ASHAs (India's voluntary female health workers formally called Accredited Social Health Activists), and of course the patients themselves – as they are the ones who can actually tell you what works well and what does not. We have to make it a point to have a forum where their voices are heard so that we can improve the way in which the programme is designed,' suggests Dr Swaminathan. In India, Humana People to People India developed a model to care for those among the urban poor in 4 major cities of India. Humana's trained and supported team of frontline healthcare workers reached out regularly to homeless and migrant people in Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and peri-urban Mumbai, screened people for TB, supported those with TB symptoms to get an X-Ray and TB test done and seek treatment from the nearest government-run TB centre. Humana's team followed up with each patient every day, and addressed their needs and problems which they encountered during the therapy. For example, encouraging them to stay away from alcohol, providing them nutritional and counselling support, helping those who were too weak to 'even lift a glass or walk' to reach healthcare centres, coordinate with TB healthcare workers regarding treatment followup and help them get cured. Humana's model encourages people who were at heightened TB risk to take charge of their own lives, and seek healthcare and social support services (such as, nutritional or monetary support provided by the government of India or shelters for homeless). Supporting those who are at highest TB risk- especially those who live in most marginalised and vulnerable situations- so that they can get diagnosed early, seek effective treatment, and access support – so that they can finish their TB therapy, is vital if we are to end TB. Models like those developed by Humana People to People India (and proven to work) must be implemented in all high TB burden settings. Despite progress, a lot more needs to be done with urgency Dr Vineet Bhatia, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Advisor for TB for South-East Asian region, emphasises that access to TB services is critical towards achieving universal health coverage. 'Social protection measures such as cash transfers and nutritional support are essential for mitigating the social and economic impacts of TB. TB should be prioritised in national budgets, including through innovative financing mechanisms, such as social impact bonds and public private partnerships.' Dr Bhatia stresses upon the importance of meaningful community engagement and empowerment which should guide the designing, implementation and monitoring of TB programmes. Dr Bhatia enumerated several examples where countries in South-East Asian region have demonstrated leadership and political will to end TB. Bangladesh hosted WHO's 1st Global Forum on Advancing Multisectoral and Multistakeholder Engagement and Accountability to End TB in June 2024, India has made a foundational shift based on science and evidence to find all TB by screening everyone among high risk people and offering upfront molecular test diagnosis and linkage to care, as part of its 100 Days campaign and extending it to all districts nationwide. Indonesia's Presidential Decree on TB aims to implement a comprehensive strategy towards ending TB. Maldives has rolled out TB-free initiative. Myanmar was the only high TB burden country in South-East Asian region to achieve 2020 milestones for TB incidence decline. Nepal's TB free initiative at Palika-level aims at actively engaging subnational level systems in TB programmes. Thailand has made significant efforts to improve coverage for TB services under its commitment to achieve universal health coverage. Timor-Leste initiated a Partners' Pledge to end TB led by the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste for a multi-sectoral approach. South-East Asia region of the WHO is home to around 5 million people with TB (45% of all people with TB worldwide). The region also accounted 600,000 TB deaths – more than half of all TB deaths globally in 2023. 'While a lot is being done a lot more needs to be done and with urgency' rightly said Dr Bhatia. 'It is time to transform all our commitments and political declarations into actions. We need to accelerate efforts to achieve the global TB goals.' Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here
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Business Standard
14-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
PM Modi calls for scaling up early detection to eliminate TB by 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for scaling up targeted interventions and successful strategies in early detection to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). This comes even as India has set 2025 as its target year for TB elimination—five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 2030. The Prime Minister highlighted the need to analyse the trends of TB patients based on urban or rural areas and their occupations. 'This will help identify groups that need early testing and treatment, especially workers in construction, mining, textile mills, and similar fields,' he said. Emphasising the improvement of technology in healthcare, PM Modi called upon Ni-kshay Mitras, or volunteers who support TB patients, to use technology to connect with patients and help them understand the disease and its treatment using interactive and easy-to-use methods. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, India tops the list of 30 high-burden TB countries, accounting for 26 per cent of the global TB burden. The same report, however, also points to an 18 per cent reduction in TB incidence in India—from 237 to 195 per 100,000 population—between 2015 and 2023, which is nearly double the global pace of around 9 per cent. It also indicates that TB mortality in India fell by 21 per cent, while treatment coverage rose to 85 per cent. The PM also reviewed key infrastructure enhancements under the NTEP, which included the expansion of the TB diagnostic network to 8,540 Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) labs, 87 culture and drug susceptibility labs, and over 26,700 X-ray units. These include 500 AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices, with another 1,000 in the pipeline. Officials also presented updates on new initiatives such as a shorter treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB, newer indigenous molecular diagnostics, and nutrition interventions under the PM Ni-kshay scheme. Launched in 2018, the scheme provides financial support to TB patients through direct benefit payments of Rs 1,000 per month to help them afford nutritious food during their treatment. 'Under the initiative, 2.94 million food baskets have been distributed by 255,000 Ni-kshay Mitras,' a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said. The recently concluded 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which screened 129.7 million people in 445 high-focus and aspirational districts across India, was also discussed in the meeting. According to data from the Union Health Ministry, the campaign led to the detection of around 719,000 new TB cases, of which 285,000 were asymptomatic.
