Need to end TB, not only reduce burden: Harsh Vardhan

Concerted action has already caused a discernible decline in tuberculosis (TB) rates and all those involved in the war against the disease should try to not only merely reduce its burden, but also end it, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said.

"TB is omnipresent, but not invincible. It is present in all regions of the world," Harsh Vardhan said inaugurating the 45th union lung conference in Barcelona Wednesday, a release said here Thursday.

In 2013, more than 9 million people developed TB and 1.5 million died.

The health minister pointed out that concerted action is already causing a discernible decline.

The World Health Organisation's Global Tuberculosis Report-2014 has pointed out that TB is slowly declining each year and estimates that 37 million lives were saved between 2000 and 2013 through effective diagnosis and treatment, he said.

However, given that most deaths from TB are preventable, the death toll from the disease is still high and efforts to combat it must be accelerated if 2015 global targets, set within the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are to be met, he said.