Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 13: India has recorded a 38 per cent decline in tuberculosis (TB) mortality since 2015, surpassing the global reduction of 35 per cent, while achieving a 94 per cent treatment success rate among patients with drug-susceptible TB, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on November 12.
The report highlights the progress made under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), supported by intensified screening, early diagnosis, rapid molecular testing, AI-enabled diagnostics and nutritional assistance.
India's TB mortality rate declined from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025, the report estimated. The government said 96 per cent of the country's TB programme funding requirements are being met through domestic resources, reflecting sustained investment in elimination efforts.
Under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, community-based screening has been expanded, particularly among vulnerable and high-risk populations. Between December 7, 2024, and November 8, 2026, more than 25 crore people were covered by TB screening activities.
During this period, over 11 crore chest X-rays and more than three crore nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) were conducted. The campaign identified 48.64 lakh new TB cases, including 14.97 lakh asymptomatic cases, highlighting the importance of proactive screening in detecting infections that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The first intensified 100-day campaign was launched in December 2024 across 347 high-priority districts in 33 states and Union Territories before being expanded nationwide. A subsequent campaign, launched on March 24, 2026, focused on screening in 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and wards, congregate settings and vulnerable populations. The government also reported that 67,933 Panchayats were declared TB-free in 2025.
India is also using portable AI-enabled digital X-rays, rapid molecular diagnostic tools and the Ni-kshay digital platform to improve case detection, patient tracking and treatment monitoring.
Nutritional assistance remains a key component of the programme. The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana provides financial support to meet patients' nutritional requirements, while the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative encourages individuals and institutions to extend nutritional and psychosocial assistance.
The programme also integrates TB screening with the identification and management of diabetes, undernutrition and other associated conditions to ensure comprehensive patient care.
The WHO report draws on several sources, including the Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System, community-based verbal autopsy assessments and Ni-kshay programme data, to estimate TB mortality. Meanwhile, the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis conducted a nationally representative TB prevalence survey in 2025. Its findings have been shared with WHO and are under technical discussion.
The government is further encouraging community participation through Panchayati Raj institutions, civil society organisations and private healthcare providers. The JOSH Teams initiative, involving NCC cadets and MY Bharat volunteers, aims to strengthen youth-led awareness and grassroots mobilisation.
The government said it would continue to focus on early detection, timely treatment, preventive therapy, nutritional support and community participation to accelerate progress towards a TB-Mukt Bharat.