Among the many public health threats which the country faces today, Tuberculosis seems to be the most worrisome one and even if efforts for its eradication have intensified lately, records suggest that signs are still ominous. With such hard reality, it is quite clear that to reach the ambitious goal of a TB Free India by 2025, the existing efforts need a more stronger boost.
TB is no doubt a global pandemic and sadly with 27 % of the world’s new cases, which is around 2.8 million, India has earned the ‘dubious distinction’ of being the TB capital of the world. In 2014 alone 480,000 people died due to the disease and as per WHO report, 1 out of 4 TB patients in the world at present is an Indian. Although the annual incidence of this dreaded disease has been reduced from 289 persons in 2000 to 217 in 2015 per 1 lakh and mortality rate also reduced from 56 to 36 per lakh per year during this 15-year span, its full elimination by 2025 will mean that there should be less than one case for a population of 10 lakh. This, according to most experts is going to be a herculean task in the context of the current rate of success which is far from encouraging.
And in all practical terms, if the country wants to see the end of TB by 2025, the rate of decline of incidence of TB needs to be more than 10-15% per year over the remaining six and a half years.
In spite of the fact that TB is fully curable if diagnosis and subsequent treatment is started at right time, the paradox surrounding its rise in the country continues to remain. According to a report tabled a few days back in LS which contains the State/UT-wise number of TB patients for the last three years of 2016, 2017 & 2018, for almost all states including Arunachal Pradesh there has been a steady rise despite strengthening of the existing efforts and introduction of new ones such as Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). It will not be hard to gauge the main contributor to this stumbling block- the still prevalent social stigmas and taboos that discourages a TB patient from reaching the doors of treatment, even if that comes virtually free in the country.
Massive awareness campaigns of the likes of polio eradication involving a larger part of society particularly the local communication channels must be undertaken with renewed zeal, involving those seeking care in the private sector also. It is only then this colossal task might be attained, else it will be an elusive target as ever.