Tuberculosis

Healthcare workers at higher risk of TB than general population, says study

Underlining critical occupation risks in the health sector, a new study has found that cases of tuberculosis are a lot more prevalent among healthcare workers in India in comparison to the general population. The analysis of 10 separate studies conducted in the last two decades between 2004 and 2023 found an average prevalence of 2,391.6 cases per 1,00,000 healthcare workers in India, far higher than the rate of 300 cases per 1 lakh population. The study, titled "Prevalence of Tuberculosis Among Healthcare Workers in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," is a collaborative effort by Dr Ravindra Nath from Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad, along with Dr Jugal Kishore, Dr Pranav Ish, Dr Aninda Debnath, and Dr Nitin Panwar, from VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, and Dr Anirban Bhaumik from Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, Delhi. Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most critical public health challenges globally, particularly in countries with high ..

Affordable TB testing technology developed by ICMR's Assam centre

An affordable tuberculosis testing technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body ICMR's regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current diagnostic methods often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some ...

After 14 deaths at Asha Kiran shelter in Delhi, HC orders a water check

The Delhi HC bench directed the social welfare secretary to conduct an on-site visit and submit a detailed report on the facility's condition

India committed to becoming free of TB by 2025, working on mission mode

27 per cent of global cases of the disease are found in the country, according to estimates

TB fight gets shot in arm from AI's diagnosis, Wadhwani AI, Qure.ai lead

AI models can help in early TB detection due to their ability to analyse medical images with enhanced precision

Mizoram sees alarming surge in TB deaths, 108 succumb to disease in 2023

A total of 108 people died of tuberculosis in Mizoram last year, officials said on Wednesday. Blood samples of 17,432 people were tested last year, and of them, 2,272 were found suffering from TB, they said. Of the 2,272 patients, 164 were diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), they said, adding that 86 per cent of the patients were successfully treated, while 108 people died. Between January and March this year, a total of 595 people have been diagnosed with TB, out of the 3,761 samples tested. Of them, 38 were diagnosed with MDR-TB and 57 people were found suffering from both TB and HIV-AIDS, officials said. Of the patients, 6 per cent are diabetic, 33 per cent use tobacco and 16 per cent are alcoholic, they said. So far this year, the Aizawl district reported the highest number of TB cases at 433, followed by Kolasib district (46) and Lunglei district (34). West Mizoram's Mamit district recorded the least TB cases at five. Only 187 people in the state h

Tuberculosis cases in US were at the highest level in a decade in 2023

The number of US tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade, according to a new government report. Forty states reported an increase in TB, and rates were up among all age groups, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. More than 9,600 cases were reported, a 16 per cent increase from 2022 and the highest since 2013. Cases declined sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have been rising since. Most US TB cases are diagnosed in people born in other countries. Experts say the 2023 number is in part a combination of a surge in TB cases internationally the World Health Organisation said TB was behind only COVID-19 in infectious fatal diseases worldwide in 2022. And there are also increases in migration and post-pandemic international travel. But other factors are also at play, including other illnesses that weaken the immune system and allow latent TB infections to emerge. CDC officials expected TB numbers would rise, but the 2023

World TB Day: As India's eradication deadline nears, Bimaru states a drag

Experts say that despite the decline in incidence rates, the 2025 deadline may be ambitious

India failed to meet WHO End-TB target, cases fall 0.5% in 2015-20: Lancet

India's tuberculosis incidence dropped marginally by 0.5 per cent between 2015 and 2020 and failed to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO's) END-TB milestone for 2020, according to new global research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The WHO End TB Strategy aims for a 90 per cent reduction in TB deaths and an 80 per cent reduction in the incidence rate by 2030, compared to the baseline figures of 2015. The 2020 milestones include a 20 per cent reduction in the TB incidence rate and a 35 per cent reduction in deaths. The latest study estimated that the incidence of TB across all ages in India was 213 cases per one lakh population in 2020, well above the WHO's milestone figure (for India) of 171 per one lakh population. Deaths due to the bacterial infectious disease in the same year were estimated to be between 3.5-5 lakh, again much above the mortality milestone of 2.7-3.2 lakh set for India. The study comes ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24. Desp

'Govt implementing largest digital programme for TB surveillance'

India has made "significant progress" in scaling up molecular diagnostics and is implementing the largest digital programme for TB surveillance and monitoring, an official said during a convention for health writers in the national capital on Wednesday. Experts discussed the latest innovations, challenges and collaborative solutions in the fight against TB at the National Health Writers and Influencers Convention held at AIIMS, Delhi. Even though tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in India, affecting millions of people every year, doctors said the disease is not a death sentence and can be treated with proper treatment. Dr Sanjay K Mattoo, additional deputy director general, Central TB Division, NTEP, Union Health Ministry gave an overview of the NTEP and its aims and challenges at the event. NTEP or National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme aims to end TB by 2025. Mattoo said India has made significant progress in scaling up molecular ...

Missing TB cases reduced from 1 mn in 2015 to 0.26 mn in 2023: Mandaviya

After two challenging years of the pandemic, India has seen a reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence by 16 per cent, almost double the pace witnessed globally, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. Virtually addressing the 37th Board Meeting of the Stop TB Partnership, he also said the number of missing TB cases in India has reduced from 1 million in 2015 to 0.26 million in 2023. The number of missed cases is defined as the difference between the estimated number of incident cases and those notified. The Stop TB Partnership is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). It is a collective force transforming the fight against TB. In his address, Mandaviya said TB has been a global health problem for decades. "After two challenging years dominated by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, globally we saw a reduction in TB incidence by 8.7 per cent, while in India, we were able to demonstrate a reduction of 16 per cent, almost double th

Novel approach identifies people at risk of developing TB: Lancet study

A novel approach to studying the progression of tuberculosis (TB) from infection to disease can identify and treat people at increased risk of developing the disease that current methods of testing would not, according to a study published in The Lancet Microbe journal. Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), UK, hope the findings could help with global efforts to reduce the spread of the disease. TB is a bacterial disease that causes significant lung damage and can, without treatment, be fatal. It is spread in aerosol by inhaling droplets containing the bacteria. Most people who become infected live with the infection and remain well. However, in a small proportion, the infection is not controlled and can progress to cause disease. Current tests of TB infection use either a skin test or a blood test, called an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) to detect an immune response to the infection. However, .

No shortage of TB drugs in India, regular supply to states ensured: Govt

"Regular assessments are conducted to evaluate the stock positions at various levels, from central warehouses to peripheral health institutes," it said

No shortage of anti-TB drugs in country, six months stock available: Govt

The ministry has previously stated that all drugs used in the treatment of drug-sensitive TB are available with sufficient stocks for a time period ranging from six months and above

National TB elimination programme includes Mylab's advanced diagnostic kit

India carries a significant burden of TB cases, with the annual TB cases rising by 19 per cent in 2021

Record 7.5 million people globally diagnosed with TB in 2022: WHO

A total of 7.5 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2022, the highest recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995, according to a report featuring data from 192 countries and areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 Global tuberculosis (TB) report also shows that globally, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2022, up from 10.3 million in 2021. The report underscores a significant worldwide recovery in the scale-up of TB diagnosis and treatment services in 2022. It shows an encouraging trend starting to reverse the detrimental effects of COVID- 19 disruptions on TB services. The increase in diagnosis is attributed to good recovery in access to and provision of health services in many countries, WHO said. India, Indonesia and the Philippines, which together accounted for over 60 per cent of the global reductions in the number of people newly diagnosed with TB in 2020 and 2021, all recovered to beyond 2019 levels in 2022, it said. "For

Without whole-genome sequencing, a treatable TB epidemic is a challenge

HaystackAnalytics, an IIT Bombay-incubated company working in the area of genomics using big data has created a comprehensive drug resistance test for tuberculosis (TB)

Serum Institute of India, Mylab launch TB kit for latent infections

The partnership between SII and Mylab is focusing on creating a comprehensive ecosystem for TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention through various interventions

Health ministry denies media reports of anti-TB medicine shortage

Ministry of Health ensures that there are at least six month worth of anti-TB drugs stored and more have been ordered

We have one of the best TB vaccines in the world: Bharat Bio's Krishna Ella

'We are working on the TB vaccine as the Prime Minister's view is also to eradicate TB from the country'