India ranks 14th out of 22 countries on TB prevalence

NEW DELHI: India had 2.6 million cases of Tuberculosis as per the latest count and ranks 14th among 22 high TB burden countries globally, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

"As per WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2014, in India, the estimated prevalence of TB is 2.6 million cases," Health Minister J P Nadda said.

For Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, the report estimated 61,000 MDR-TB cases in India among notified pulmonary TB cases. However, on the basis of prevalence rate, India ranks 14th among 22 high TB burden countries globally, he said while replying ot questions.

"Due to the large population of our country, the same translates into the large number of cases," Nadda said.

The Minister said it is likely that with a large private sector of healthcare in India, a significant proportion of cases not registered under National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) were diagnosed and treated in private sector.

"The programmatic management of drug resistant TB under RNTCP had commenced in 2007 and complete country coverage was achieved in 2013. The action already taken by India is in consonance with the resolution of anti-microbial resistance passed by the World Health Assembly in May 2015," he said.