Archive · 19 Nov 2025
India's TB Elimination Plan Falters Amidst Structural Weaknesses
India wants to get rid of tuberculosis by 2025, but many people at high risk are not being checked, and not enough people with the disease are getting tested.
India has a lot of tuberculosis cases, and while treatment has improved, not enough people are getting better.
To fix this, India needs to improve its screening program, help vulnerable people, and use new medicines and technologies.
India aims to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025 but faces significant challenges
Door-to-door screening program missed 92% of high-risk individuals
Only 66% of identified presumptive cases underwent sputum testing
India accounts for nearly a quarter of global TB burden
Treatment coverage improved but decline in new cases and deaths fell short of WHO targets
- Who
- India's Central Tuberculosis Division
- What
- Failed to meet performance benchmarks in tuberculosis elimination program
- When
- 2022-2024
- Where
- India, with a focus on 30 districts
- Why
- Structural weaknesses in the active case finding program and insufficient focus on vulnerable populations
Government's Perspective
Public Health Experts' Perspective
Programme Performance
Government's Perspective
The government acknowledges shortcomings in the active case finding programme but maintains progress is being made
Public Health Experts' Perspective
Experts criticize the programme's failure to meet benchmarks and the slow decline in new cases and deaths
Vulnerable Populations
Government's Perspective
The government is working to improve screening and treatment for vulnerable populations
Public Health Experts' Perspective
Experts argue that more needs to be done to address the disproportionate impact on the poor, undernourished, elderly, and people with comorbidities
Newer Regimens
Government's Perspective
The government is leveraging new regimens like BPaLM for drug-resistant TB
Public Health Experts' Perspective
Experts urge the government to fully utilize the potential of these new regimens and invest in community outreach and stigma reduction
- High-risk individuals screened
- 7.8 million
- Presumed cases identified
- 11,357
- Sputum tests conducted
- 7,527 (66%)
- Global TB cases in 2022
- 2.4 million
- India's TB cases in 2022
- 500,000 (20%)
- India's TB cases in 2024
- 27.1 lakh
- India's TB deaths in 2024
- 300,000+
- Treatment coverage in 2024
- 92%
