New Delhi, March 24
The government has made remarkable strides in combating tuberculosis -- the world’s deadliest infectious disease, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on Monday.
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed annually on March 24 to raise awareness about the condition. The theme this year is “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver”.
He also reaffirmed the government’s aim to eliminate TB by the end of 2025 -- a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 to eradicate the infectious disease five years ahead of the global target.
“Our government has made remarkable strides in combating this disease through the National TB Elimination Programme,” Nadda said, in a post on social media platform X.
According to the WHO Global TB Report 2024, India has witnessed a noteworthy 17.7 per cent decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023 -- a rate that is over twice the global average decline of 8.3 per cent.
TB deaths have also reduced by 21.4 per cent from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023,” as per the data.
Nadda also informed of the 100-day TB campaign, launched in December.
“To intensify efforts, we launched the India 100 Days TB Elimination Campaign, focusing on high-burden districts and ensuring TB services reach the grassroots level”.