Swing, but do not miss: on India and the WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 Politics & News

The World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 was a mixed bag for India. While the tuberculosis (TB) incidence had the highest decline rate, globally, by 21% from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024, India remains among the countries with the highest rates of TB, bearing 25% of the world’s burden. This also means that India recorded the maximum number of cases of TB in 2024. Within the country, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of cases, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Delhi has the highest TB infection prevalence rate, though its actual case numbers are not that high. As far as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is concerned, the scenario seems quite challenging. India, as per the report, also recorded the highest number of drug-resistant TB cases in 2024 — accounting for 32% of global MDR-TB- and rifampicin-resistant (RR-TB) cases. With a treatment success rate for new and treated cases hovering at 90%, and at 77% for MDR-/RR-TB cases started on second line treatment, the saga of the mixed bag continues. India’s TB mortality rate dropped from 28 deaths per one lakh population in 2015 to 21 deaths per one lakh population in 2024. Despite this improvement, the figure is still over three times higher than the government’s elimination target.

India has missed the target it set for itself, having advanced for itself the aim to eliminate TB — by 2025, five years before the global target of 2030. While incremental gains have not shored up to a dramatic result, this indeed has meant several million lives saved over the years. In this then, there is hope for a successful TB control programme in a country that has been battling TB for decades. Among the factors that have contributed to the gains include: harnessing advanced technologies, including AI and newer tools for molecular diagnosis and rapid detection of infection and resistance, facilitating better nutrition to prevent TB in susceptible populations, a scheme tailored to address drug-resistant forms of TB and the introduction of newer therapies (including BPaLM). The National TB Elimination Programme has set itself on a progressive path for the future, but unless crucial issues such as gaps in diagnosis (particularly in rural areas), taking care of stark socio-economic disparities and the high MDR-/RR-TB case burden, frequent drug shortages and looming malnutrition, are addressed with vigour, Indian efforts will continue to stay in the realm of swing and miss.