The government does not plan to push the tuberculosis elimination target beyond 2025, Union health minister JP Nadda said on Tuesday, adding that the status of the programme would be clearer in April when the “100 days intensified TB campaign ends”.
The health ministry during a briefing shared a status report on the progress made in the last 10 years in implementation of schemes under the National Health Mission (NHM).
“We are hopeful that we will be able to eliminate TB by the stipulated time; having said that we will be in a better position to comment on it by the first week of April when our 100 days intensified TB campaign ends. We should not forget that because of Covid-19 pandemic we lost two crucial years, for which we are making up,” Nadda said.
India’s elimination target is 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.
According to data shared by the heath minister, the incidence of TB has reduced from 237 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 195 in 2023, and the TB mortality rate has decreased from 28 to 22 in the same period. Separately, missing TB cases have reduced form 1.5 million in 2015 to 150,000 in 2024.
“We have moved from ‘high burden’ to ‘high impact’ country. 1.56 lakh Ni-kshay Mitra volunteers are supporting over 9.4 lakh TB patients under the Pradhan Mantri TB MuktBharat Abhiyan,” said Nadda.
The National TB Elimination Programme was launched in 2020, and
Among other success stories, the health minister said Ayushman Arogya Mandir Centers have reached 172,000; National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission screened at least 26 million individuals; India achieved 97.98% coverage in Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign; and malaria control efforts lead to decreased mortality and cases.
According to the World Malaria Report 2024, India has exited from “High Burden to High Impact (HBHI)” countries.
HPV vaccine likely this year
The Centre is also likely to roll out the vaccine against HPV under the national immunisation programme this year, health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said at the briefing, with ministry official indicating that the vaccine will likely be rolled out in a phased manner. The health ministry’s Universal Immunisation Programme is executed under NHM.
“The plan is to roll it out but it is too early to elaborate upon the details because the strategy is still being formulated,” Srivastava said.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common virus that can cause cancers later in life, particularly cancer of the cervix.
According to government estimates, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. In India, it is the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer. HPV vaccination is meant to prevent cancer-causing infections and precancers.
“It will be done in a phased manner, starting from select districts and the age group will also be decided among other things. It will take a few months before a plan is firmed up,” a senior official familiar with the matter said requesting anonymity.