Overview
- The World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on Thursday, Nov 12, 2026, shows India cut TB mortality by 38% since 2015 and achieved a 94% treatment success rate for drug-susceptible TB.
- The government’s TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan screened more than 25 crore people between Dec 7, 2024 and Nov 8, 2026 and reports over 11 crore chest X‑rays, more than 3 crore molecular NAAT tests, and 48.64 lakh newly identified TB cases including 14.97 lakh asymptomatic infections.
- Health officials credit AI-enabled portable X‑rays, a vastly expanded Truenat/GeneXpert molecular network, and the Ni-kshay digital platform with faster detection, prompt treatment starts, and improved patient follow-up.
- Major challenges remain: India still accounted for about a quarter of global TB cases in 2025, multidrug-resistant TB stays a top concern despite signs of decline, and social drivers such as undernutrition, diabetes and catastrophic household costs continue to hamper elimination.
- Policy implications include sustaining domestic financing—96% of programme needs are now met locally—scaling accessible confirmatory tests and community support, and awaiting a WHO technical review of the 2025 ICMR‑NIRT prevalence survey that may update national burden estimates in early 2027.