TB notifications fall due to pandemic disruptions
Context: According to the India TB report released by the Health Ministry in 2020, there were 18.05 tuberculosis notifications, which was a fall of 24% from 2019 due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Details:
- The report said between January and February 2020, the notifications were on an upward trajectory, with 6% more cases reported in the same period in 2019.
- As a result of the lockdown, notifications in the public sector fell by 38% and 44% in the private sector in April and May.
- As per the report over 95% of all cases reported were initiated on treatment in 2020 and the treatment success rate for patients reported in 2019 was 82% (83% among patients in the public sector and 79% in the private).
- The report said 20,892 (42%) of patients were initiated on a shorter MDR-TB regimen at the time of diagnosis.
About TB in India:
- India accounts for about a quarter of the global TB burden. In 2019 the estimated TB incidence was 2,640,000.
- In 2019 an estimated 9,700 HIV positive people died due to TB disease , and an estimated 440,000 HIV negative people died. 2. There are some more TB statistics for India.
- India is also the country with the second highest number (after South Africa) of estimated HIV associated TB cases.
- There are many reasons why people in India seek care from the private sector. These include:
- poor knowledge of TB;
- poor knowledge of services available through the national public program;
- the convenience of services in the private sector;
- a desire for confidentiality;
- a desire for personalized care.
TB Facts:
- Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain.
- Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease.
- If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.
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