Stop TB in my lifetime
World TB Day is commemorated every year on 24 March, the day on which Sir Robert Koch made the famous announcement about discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative organism of tuberculosis at the Physiological Society of Berlin in 1882. This is an occasion for further building public awareness about the disease, advocacy for tackling one of the major causes of avoidable death and generating stronger commitment from all stakeholders.
The theme of World TB Day 2013 is “Stop TB in my lifetime”.
India with nearly a quarter of the TB burden in the world has progressed well in achieving the global programme targets. It is also well on its way to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and Stop TB targets. However, the decline in the incidence is slow at nearly two percent per year. India has more new tuberculosis (TB) cases annually than any other country. In 2011, out of the estimated global annual incidence of 9 million TB cases, 2.3 million were estimated to have occurred in India.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, mortality from TB in India was 320,000 (210,000–470,000) in 2010. More than 80 percent of the burden of TB is due to premature death, as measured in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost. The problem of TB in the country is further compounded by the emergence of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), HIV-associated TB and several socioeconomic factors that promote the transmission of the infection.
India’s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) is the world’s largest TB control programme. Over 1.5 million TB patients are diagnosed and treated under it each year. While the performance of the programme varies widely across districts and states, on most counts, the RNTCP has largely achieved its targets, including complete geographical coverage in March 2006.
Since 2008, the RNTCP has consistently succeeded in detecting more than 70 percent of the estimated new sputum smear-positive cases of TB and cured more than 85 percent of these. In the process of consolidation, the RNTCP has established systems for quality assurance of sputum microscopy, promoted collaboration between the TB and HIV programmes, engaged non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) in the care of TB patients, and undertaken rigorous surveillance and monitoring of the programme. In addition, locally feasible and community-based systems for the diagnosis and treatment of DR-TB have been developed, and access is being scaled up rapidly.
The RNTCP has entered the third phase of implementation and the ambitious National Strategic Plan (NSP 2012–2017) has been drawn up as part of the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan. The theme of the NSP 2012–2017 is “Universal access for quality diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients in the community” and its target is “Reaching the unreached”.
The major focus is on the early and complete detection of all cases of TB, including DR-TB and HIV-associated TB, with greater engagement of the private sector in improving care for all TB patients. The NSP is backed up by the commitment of the Government of India to substantially increase the investment for TB control, with a fourfold increase in budgetary allocation being considered. Early and complete diagnosis of all TB patients and quality treatment for all requires strong policies, strategies, systems and adequate resources.
For more information, please visit:
Message from the WHO Representative to India on World TB Day
pdf, 1.59Mb
https://tbcindia.mohfw.gov.in/