After polio, elimination of tuberculosis (TB) is on the radar of the government. With an aim to eradicate TB by 2030, the Centre on Monday launched a host of initiatives and a new “miracle drug”, Bedaquiline. Globally, 9.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2014, with India and Indonesia accounting for maximum number of cases.
As reported by this newspaper first, Union health minister J.P. Nadda launched Bedaquiline — a new anti-TB drug for drug resistant TB as part of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and inducted over 500 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines.
The CBNAAT machines are fully automated and provide results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialised training.
“Until 2015, 121 CBNAAT sites were functional in the country, largely providing decentralised testing for detection of DR TB. “With the availability of these additional 500 machines, access to rapid quality assured diagnosis of DR TB and TB will be ensured in all the districts of India either directly or through a linkage by specimen transport mechanism.
“Additionally, the programme will be able to use this highly sensitive state-of-art technology for diagnosis of TB among key populations like children, PLHIV and extra pulmonary TB patients,” said Mr Nadda at an event “Unite to End TB: Fast Tracking access to quality diagnosis and treatment”.
Even as India saw a 58 per cent reduction in TB prevalence and 55 per cent reduction in morbidity, experts said there was a long way to go. There are an estimated 75,000 MDR TB cases in India.
“It is critical for us to have a strategy for MDR TB cases,” said C.K. Mishra, additional secretary in the Union health ministry.
TB ranks alongside HIV as top infectious killer. The WHO South East Asia region accounts for 41 per cent of the global burden of TB, with about 4,60,000 people dying in the region due to TB.
“Globally and in SEAR TB cases have been declining at the rate of 1.5 per cent which is too slow. A six fold increase in the decline rate is needed,” Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO said.
