Over six lakh tuberculosis cases have been detected so far under an ongoing pan-India 100-day intensified campaign to eliminate TB and of them, 4.3 lakh patients were diagnosed from the 455 intervention districts, officials said on Saturday.
This is an outcome of a new strategy for early TB identification involving offering X-ray screening to high-risk populations, such as individuals with diabetes, smokers, those who are malnourished and people living with HIV adopted under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, they stated.
By deploying AI-enabled handheld X-ray machines, portable X-ray units and conducting door-to-door screenings in congregate settings, both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were tested. Positive X-ray results were then confirmed with NAAT (an advanced diagnostic test), leading to the identification of multiple asymptomatic TB patients.
“As a result of the intensified case finding approach adopted by the 100-day intensified TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the TB programme has notified over 6.1 lakh TB patients across the country, of which 4.3 lakh patients were diagnosed from the 455 intervention districts,” an official said.
“Jan Bhagidari approach helps over 11 crore persons get screened for TB. Since the launch of the campaign close to 12 lakh ni-kshay shivirs (TB screening camps) have been held across the country and over 11 crore people who are vulnerable to being affected by TB have been screened across the country.
“Such mass mobilisation has been possible through different levers the National TB Elimination Programme has tapped into to combat stigma around TB and encourage early testing and screening,” the official stated.
On December 7, 2024, Union Health Minister JP Nadda had announced the start of the special campaign with a focus on 347 intervention districts, which was subsequently scaled up to 455 districts across the country.
Through the course of the campaign, over 27,000 elected representatives across different levels (union and state ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and gram pradhans), have been engaged to increase awareness, participate in ni-kshay shivirs and provide nutrition support to TB patients and their families through the Ni-kshay Mitra programme.
As part of the campaign, the Union Health Ministry sensitised over 250 parliamentarians during the winter session of Parliament, and Nadda chaired meetings with chief ministers, LGs and health ministers of implementation states, encouraging them to actively monitor and participate in campaign activities.
Subsequently Nadda chaired a joint strategy meeting with Union ministers and secretaries from 22 allied ministries to urging them to utilise their expertise and resources to support TB elimination activities during the campaign.
Additionally, community organisations, gram panchayats, schools, NGOs, and allied ministries have helped execute localised awareness campaigns that has helped dispel misinformation, myths and stigma around the disease, the official said.
Under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, Rs 3697 crore has been disbursed to 1.24 crore TB patients since April 2018.
“India is one of the few countries to have universal social support systems for TB patients. The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana is a monthly nutrition support scheme each notified TB patient is entitled to. In October 2024, recognising the role nutrition plays in reducing mortality and improving treatment outcomes, the government of India doubled monthly disbursements under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana from Rs. 500 to Rs 1000 per month.
“Not just that, the ambit of the Ni-kshay Mitra scheme (a voluntary program that allows individuals and organisations to provide additional nutrition support during TB treatment) was expanded to cover not just TB patients, but their family members as well,” the officer stated.
As a signatory to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India is committed to meeting the target of ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG deadline of 2030. (PTI)
