WHO lauds India for making 'encouraging gains' to end tuberculosis

New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised India for making "encouraging gains" to end tuberculosis (TB), saying detection gap has narrowed.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, WHO South-East Asia also said that TB-related mortality has shown signs of improvement in India.

TB burden in 2024 continued to vary across the South-East Asia Region, the statement said, citing WHO's Global Tuberculosis Report 2025.

Myanmar and Timor-Leste continued to record high TB incidence rates at around 480-500 per lakh population, placing them among the higher-incidence settings globally.

Countries like India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Thailand reported incidence levels between 146 and 269 per 100,000, reflecting steady but too-slow declines, the statement said.

In absolute numbers, India had an estimated 2.71 million people with TB, followed by Bangladesh 384,000, Myanmar 263,000, Thailand 104,000, and Nepal 67,000, it said.

"Several countries demonstrated encouraging gains. Bangladesh, India, and Thailand notified a large proportion of estimated cases, narrowing detection gaps," the statement said.

TB-related mortality, though substantial, has shown signs of improvement in several member states. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Thailand reported declines in estimated deaths due to TB compared to 2015, supported by recovery of essential TB services in the post-COVID-19 era, it said.

However, the overall pace of decline across the region remains insufficient to meet the '2025 End TB' milestones, the statement said.

According to the report, 10.7 million people developed TB and 1.23 million died from the disease in 2024.

The South-East Asia Region, home to less than a quarter of the global population, disproportionately accounts for more than one in every three new TB cases worldwide, emerging annually.

Drug-resistant TB continues to pose a serious threat, with 150,000 new cases estimated in 2024, the WHO statement said.

The region has reduced TB incidence by 16 per cent since 2015, slightly faster than the global average of 12 per cent.

But deaths are not falling fast enough, and the region's TB incidence rate of 201 per lakh people remains well above the global average of 131, the statement said.

"Tuberculosis continues to threaten health security and development across the South-East Asia Region, hitting the poorest the hardest," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia.

"We know what works, early detection, rapid treatment, prevention, and strong primary health care. What's needed now is speed, scale, and sustained political and financial commitment," Dr Boehme said.

Still, the region has achieved notable gains: treatment coverage now exceeds 85 per cent, and treatment success rates are among the highest in the world. Preventive therapy for people living with HIV and household contacts has also expanded sharply, outpacing global averages, the statement said.

At the same time, undernutrition and diabetes remain the region's top TB risk factors, contributing to nearly 850,000 new cases each year.

Almost half of all TB-affected families (44 per cent) face catastrophic costs, while funding for TB programmes has stalled, threatening hard-won gains, the statement said.

WHO stressed the need to protect and expand essential TB services, integrate them into primary health care, and strengthen social protection through nutrition, cash transfers, and transport support. Investing in communities, innovation, and digital tools will be key to closing the remaining gaps.

"The South-East Asia Region has shown that progress is possible through leadership, innovation and collaboration, but progress must now accelerate," said Dr Boehme.

"We have the tools to end TB. The time to act decisively is now," she said.