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100-Day Intensified TB Elimination Campaign
Context:
On December 7, 2024, the 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign was launched across 455 intervention districts in 33 States and Union Territories of India.
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Aimed to accelerate efforts towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by screening and testing vulnerable populations. Despite the ambitious goals and significant efforts, the campaign has fallen short of its main objective.
Campaign Overview
- The campaign is part of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and aims to eliminate TB across India.
- The primary focus is on screening and testing high-risk groups, including Diabetics, Smokers and alcoholics, People living with HIV, Past TB patients, Geriatric population, and Household contacts of TB patients.
- The campaign aims to detect both symptomatic and asymptomatic (subclinical) TB cases using chest X-rays, followed by bacteriological confirmation through molecular tests.
- Door-to-door screenings have been conducted, particularly in congregate settings.
- Positive X-ray results are followed by confirmation using NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test), a more advanced diagnostic test, allowing the identification of asymptomatic TB cases that might otherwise remain undetected.
Key Statistics and Progress
- TB Notifications and Data: As of February 22, 2025, over 5.1 lakh TB notifications have been recorded across India. Of these, over 3.5 lakh notifications are from the 455 intervention districts, which followed the screening of over 10 crore (100 million) individuals.
- Ni-kshay Website Data (March 6, 2025): A total of 6,35,035 TB notifications across India from December 7, 2024, to March 6, 2025.
- Year-over-Year Comparison:
- December 7, 2024 – February 22, 2025: 44,585 more TB cases notified compared to the same period in 2024 (5,33,091 cases in 2024 vs 5,77,676 in 2025).
- Annual Increase: Notifications have been increasing each year (21.3 lakh in 2021, 24.2 lakh in 2022, 25.4 lakh in 2023, 26.2 lakh in 2024).
Campaign Mobilisation and Awareness
- Jan Bhagidari Approach: The campaign has seen active participation from various community stakeholders, including elected representatives, community organisations, NGOs, and local leaders.
- More than 27,000 elected representatives (including MPs, MLAs, and state ministers) have been involved in spreading awareness, supporting screenings, and providing nutrition support to TB patients.
- Localised Campaigns: Localised awareness campaigns have been run by community organisations, schools, and gram panchayats, effectively addressing myths, misinformation, and stigma surrounding TB. The Union Health Ministry has sensitised over 250 parliamentarians during the winter session of Parliament to actively participate in the campaign.
- Nutrition and Support for TB Patients: Under this scheme, each notified TB patient receives monthly nutrition support, a crucial aspect in improving treatment outcomes.
- In October 2024, recognising the importance of nutrition in TB treatment, the government increased the monthly support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 per month.
Limitations of the Campaign
- Screening Reach: Only 38 lakh individuals screened using chest X-rays as of February 22, 2025 (3.8% of the 100 million targeted population).
- Limited Screening: Only a “substantial population” without TB symptoms was screened, but the exact number of asymptomatic TB cases detected was not disclosed.
- Inadequate X-ray Machines: Only 836 portable X-ray vans are available for screening across the intervention districts, limiting the scope of the campaign.
- AI Tool Limitations: The untested and HTA-unapproved AI-assisted chest X-ray interpretation tool has been used sparingly, if at all.
India’s Commitment to TB Elimination
- India is committed to achieving TB elimination by 2025, a goal set five years ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline of 2030.
- The Ni-kshay Mitra programme aims to provide ongoing support to TB patients, including nutrition and financial assistance to help them during their treatment journey.
