New Delhi, Dec 7 (IANS): As India aims to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded Nikshay Mitras and other such shorter and effective treatments that have reduced the incidence of the deadly infectious disease.
PM Modi said that such initiatives have helped in increasing the rate of recovery.
“Initiatives like Nikshay Mitras and shorter, effective treatments have significantly reduced TB incidence, improved recovery rates, and reinforced India's global leadership in combating TB,” the PM said in a post on X.
This was in response to a post by the Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda who elucidated on several initiatives such as the 100-day campaign in high-burden districts, enhanced nutritional support through Nikshay Poshan Yojana, undertaken by the government in the fight against TB.
“Union Health Minister Shri @JPNadda elaborates how India's TB elimination efforts have seen transformative progress with nutritional support through Nikshay Poshan Yojana,” the PM said.
Meanwhile, Nadda is expected to officially launch the ambitious 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign in Panchkula, Haryana on Saturday.
The campaign aims to accelerate the fight against TB by improving case detection, reducing diagnostic delays, and enhancing treatment outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations.
The campaign will span 347 districts across 33 states and Union Territories. It represents a critical component of India’s strategy to eliminate TB and build a TB-free nation.
India has also significantly reduced the incidence rate of the deadly infectious disease as well as the related deaths.“The incidence rate of TB in India has shown a 17.7 per cent decline from 237 per 100,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 100,000 population in 2023,” said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Patel noted that “TB deaths have reduced by 21.4 per cent from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023.” TB notification, which has been a concern in India, has also seen improvements in recent years. “Notified TB cases increased from 18.05 lakh in 2020 to 25.52 lakh in 2023,” said the MoS.