INDIA TB REPORT 2019

Sept. 27, 2019

The Union Health Ministry released the India TB Report 2019.

Key highlights of report:

  • There was a 16% increase in the number of TB cases in 2018 as compared to the previous year. 21.5 lakh TB cases were notified to the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in 2018.

  • India accounted for a quarter of the Global TB burden with an estimated 27 lakh new cases in 2018.

  • Of the total notifications, 25% (5.4 lakh) cases were from the private sector; a 40% increase over last year.

  • Among the notified, treatment was initiated for about 19.1 lakh cases (90%) across both public and private sectors.

  • The majority of the affected individuals (89%) were in the age group 15-69.

  • Uttar Pradesh accounted for 20% of all notifications (187 cases/lakh population).

  • Odisha witnessed a decline in the number of notified cases from over 67,000 in 2017 to 50,244 in 2018, or about 25%. Odisha was the only such state; the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands too witnessed a drop.

  • The two UTs of Delhi and Chandigarh had the highest number of notified patients per lakh population, at 417 and 468, respectively. Their rates of notification are higher because people from many other parts of India get notified from these UTs.

  • TB is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV, and HIV co-infection rates among incident TB patients is estimated to be 3% — 86,000 HIV-associated TB patients are emerging annually. 11,000 people with HIV die every year due to TB.