Hyderabad: The silent killer which is the cause of the maximum number of abrupt deaths in the country is Tuberculosis. India accounts for three-fourths of Tuberculosis deaths worldwide. While an estimated 1 crore people are affected by TB every year, about 15 lakh people died of it last year alone. India, which reports 27 lakh TB cases on an average every year, saw 4.5 lakh people dying of TB in 2018 alone.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) census, India’s position as the frontrunner for TB deaths will remain unchanged in the coming years. The percentage of deaths caused by TB in China (9 per cent), Indonesia (8 per cent) and the Philippines (6 per cent) is minimal when compared to India.
The recently released TB India Report 2019 illustrated the severity of the disease in states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. Last year, Telangana had reported 52,000 new cases while Andhra Pradesh chose to distort the actual figures.
In any case, the condition in Telugu states is alarming.
Though advertisements claim that sufficient funds and facilities are provided to detect and prevent TB, the disease is spreading like a wildfire.
TB is curable when detected in the early stages and treated correctly. WHO reports revealed that only 1 person out of 3 affected by TB is getting treated. There is a dire lack of TB medications. It is estimated that 80 per cent of patients in underdeveloped countries spend one-fifth of their earnings on medical expenses.
On one hand, the national reports assert that 74 per cent of TB patients were admitted in hospitals and 81 per cent of them got cured while on the other hand, lakhs of people are losing their lives to the disease every year.
National TB Control Program was launched way back in 1962. It was revised several times to eradicate TB in India. By 2030, WHO is planning to eradicate TB from the face of the earth. An international expert committee estimated that it is possible to wipe out TB by 2045 with the allocation of sufficient funds and by rightly utilizing them.
The Indian government is doing its part to eliminate the disease by taking certain measures. About 1.5 lakh TB cases were not officially reported in our country last year. This shows the enormity of the epidemic. The government has allotted a mere Rs.4,000 crores to combat a rapidly spreading disease like TB. The funds include distribution of free medicines, social incentives and various relief measures. Prime Minister Modi himself calculated that TB causes an annual loss of Rs. 20,000 crores to the nation. Medical expenses and the resulting loss to the government is only a small part of the problem.
There is no estimate to the value of the number of lives lost. WHO report revealed that timely diagnosis and treatment of TB prevented 5.4 crore deaths worldwide during 2000-2017. Four years ago, 200 TB cases were reported for every 4-lakh population in India.
The National Strategic Plan’s target is to reduce the number to 142 by 2020 and to 77 by 2023. But strategies alone are not sufficient. India ranks 145th among 195 countries in healthcare access and quality. Rampant air pollution and unhygienic sanitary conditions must be targeted along with the implementation of a two-way plan to prevent and control the disease.
With the right measures, India can be made TB-free by 2025.
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