New Delhi: Tuberculosis (TB) cases are much higher among health workers in India than the general population, a new study has found, reflecting serious occupational hazards in the healthcare sector.

An analysis of 10 different studies conducted in the last 20 years between 2004 and 2023 has shown that there are an average of 2,391.6 TB cases per 100,000 health workers in India. However, the number of TB cases per 100,000 population is only 300.

The study, published in a paper titled Prevalence of TB among healthcare workers in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis, said TB is one of the most serious public health challenges globally.

According to the research, 6,468.31 cases of TB were found per lakh among laboratory technicians, 2,006.18 cases per lakh among doctors and 2,726.8 cases per lakh among nurses. Thus, the rate of TB prevalence is very high among health workers.