OVER 2.4 MN TB CASES IN 2019: REPORT

NEW DELHI: As many as 2.404 million tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported in India in 2019 that also witnessed the highest number of the disease notifications, according to the India TB Report, 2020, released on Wednesday. There was a 12% increase in the notifications compared to 2018, it added. India has set a target of eradicating TB by 2025, five years before the global target of 2030. There was at least a 25% increase in TB notifications from the private health sector. Private doctors reported 679,000 TB cases in 2019. A 2018 government directive warning private doctors of action in case they did not report TB cases is seen as a major contributor towards the increased reporting. Over half of the total notifications were from big five states--Uttar Pradesh (20%), Maharashtra (9%), Madhya Pradesh (8%), Rajasthan (7%) and Bihar (7%).