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News Topical, Digital Desk : Dismissing claims of a rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases in India over the past decade, official sources in the Central TB Division have said that there has been a clear decline in both new TB cases and mortality rates in the country. This progress has been possible due to strict surveillance, timely detection and increased access to treatment.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report 2025, TB cases in India are projected to decrease by 21 percent between 2015 and 2024. From 237 cases per million population in 2015, this will fall to 187 in 2024. TB deaths also declined by 25 percent during the same period.
The number of deaths per 100,000 people has dropped from 28 to 21. The report also noted a significant expansion in the scope of treatment. While 53 percent of patients were covered by treatment in 2015, this figure rose to 92 percent in 2024. This has helped prevent further spread of the infection.
The Central TB Division believes that proactive identification of unreported and asymptomatic patients played a key role in the campaign's success. WHO estimates that there were 1.5 million "missing" TB patients in the country in 2015, while this number will decrease by 93 percent by 2024.
Speed gained from AI based surveillance system
A technology-based surveillance campaign was launched in December 2023 to enable early detection and prevention of TB. This initiative includes an AI-based tracking system, portable AI-enabled X-rays, digital screening tools, and upfront molecular diagnostics (NAAT). This enables rapid screening even in high-risk areas.
Under this initiative, 24.89 lakh new TB cases were identified, of which 8.7 lakh were patients whose symptoms could not be detected through traditional methods.
According to sources, due to misinterpretation of data, sometimes it appears that TB cases are increasing, whereas the reality is the opposite.
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