Source: IE
Context: The Global TB Report 2023 by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while India has improved in TB diagnosis and treatment coverage, it still faces significant challenges in achieving its ambitious 2025 TB elimination target.
- India remains the country with the highest TB burden globally, underscoring the need for enhanced funding and healthcare strategies.
About Global TB Report 2023 and India’s status:
- Global TB cases: 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023, making TB the leading infectious killer worldwide, overtaking COVID-19.
- India’s TB burden: India reported 2.8 million estimated TB cases in 2023, accounting for 26% of global TB cases and 29% of global TB deaths (315,000 deaths).
- Progress towards targets: India has reduced TB cases by 18% and deaths by 24% since 2015, short of the 2025 targets of a 50% reduction in cases and a 75% reduction in deaths.
- Increase in diagnosed cases: Reported TB cases rose to 2.51 million in 2023, signalling improvement in diagnostic reach, with 85% of diagnosed patients receiving treatment.
- Multi-Drug-Resistant TB: India accounts for 27% of global multi-drug-resistant TB cases, highlighting the need for targeted treatment strategies.
- Funding gap: India’s TB funding dropped from $432.6 million in 2019 to $302.8 million in 2023, with domestic funding falling to $253 million.
- Catastrophic costs: For the first time, the report estimates that many households face catastrophic health costs, spending more than 20% of their income on TB-related healthcare.
Read more about Tuberculosis here.
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