Global Tuberculosis Report, 2020 of WHO

The World Health Organization recently released the Global Tuberculosis Report, 2020. The report says that COVID-19 could push Tuberculosis related deaths in the world to eight years back. In other words, it might increase the TB deaths by 0.2 to 0.4 million.

Highlights

• India registered a decline in notification of Tuberculosis cases by 85% in April 2020 after the imposition of lock down.
• According to the report, the number of TB deaths could be between 200,000 and 400,000.
• Philippines, Indonesia and South Africa account to 44% of global TB cases in the world.
• The number of TB related deaths increased as staff in national TB programmes were reallocated. This included 14 high burden TB countries. The reasons include restriction in movement of people, procurement and transportation of TB medicines and loss of wages that made it difficult for people to access health centres.
• The eight countries that are home to two-thirds of global TB cases are India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Russia.
• The three countries that have the largest burden of drug-resistant TB are India, China and Russia.
• Between 2015 and 2019, there were 9% reduction of TB incidence and 14% reduction in TB deaths.
• More than 14 million were treated between 2018 and 2019. This is just ahead of the five-year target of reaching 40 million between 2018 and 2022 set by WHO. The target has been set in comparison with 2015. However, the COVID-19 is making it difficult to achieve these targets

Background

India has the highest TB burden in the world. It accounts to 26% of total global TB cases.

Milestones

The United Nations had set a goal to reduce incidence of TB by 20% and 35% reduction in deaths due to TB by 2020.

Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme

The National TB Control Programme is implemented for more than 50 years. The key parameter of the programme is to establish TB Centres. The Revised NTCP was launched in 2015.

India implemented the National Strategic Plan 2012-17 with a goal of “Universal Access to Quality TB diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients”

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2020