JP Nadda hails WHO report on India’s fight against tuberculosis

New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) Union Minister of Health and Family Affairs, JP Nadda, on Friday hailed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) report, according to which India has cut tuberculosis-related deaths by 38 per cent since 2015, beating the global average decline of 35 per cent.

In a post on ‘X’, Nadda cited the ‘WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026’, saying that it highlights India’s significant progress, with a 38 per cent reduction in TB mortality since 2015, surpassing the global decline of 35 per cent and a 94 per cent treatment success rate.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our fight against TB has become a nationwide Jan Andolan, powered by technology, community participation and patient-centric care,” he said.

Nadda mentioned that through the ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’, “Over 25 crore people covered under intensified screening, 11 crore+ chest X-rays and 3 crore+ molecular tests conducted and 48.64 lakh TB cases detected, including nearly 15 lakh asymptomatic cases, enabling early treatment.”

“From AI-enabled diagnostics to nutritional support under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and the dedicated efforts of Ni-kshay Mitras, we are strengthening every aspect of TB care,” he added.

The Health Minister asserted that these “achievements” reinforce the government’s resolve to ensure that no TB patient is left behind.

“With Jan Bhagidari and our collective commitment, we will continue moving towards a TB-Mukt Bharat,” he said.

According to the WHO report, the estimated TB mortality rate in India fell from 280 deaths per million people in 2015 to 180 deaths per million in 2025, the WHO said in its Global TB Report 2026.

However, India still accounted for 25 per cent of global TB cases in 2025.

The WHO said most people who develop TB are in 30 high-burden countries.

India also remains among four countries that accounted for more than 50 per cent of global multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB cases in 2025.

Apart from that, both the WHO and the government confirmed that MDR-TB incidence has been gradually declining.

India’s TB profile would be separately reviewed and updated after it analyses district-level sentinel surveillance (DLSS) data with India’s Central TB Division and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the WHO added.

–IANS

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