TB elimination by 2025: Jaitley's target needs 95% drop in new cases

By comparison, India reduced TB cases by 22% between 2005 and 2015

“Elimination of tuberculosis by 2025 is also targeted,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said during his February 1, 2017, budget speech as he spoke about eliminating Kala-Azar (black fever or Visceral leishmaniasis) and filariasis by 2017, leprosy by 2018 and measles by 2020.

The finance minister’s claim of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 does not match targets for reduction of TB cases in the strategy document of India’s national tuberculosis control programme.

Eliminating the TB epidemic in India by 2025 would mean reducing new TB cases by 95% over the next decade. In comparison, India reduced TB cases by 22% between