World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on March 24 to raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that most often affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people with TB cough, sneeze or spit. Tuberculosis is preventable and curable.
About a quarter of the global population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria. About 5–10% of people infected with TB will eventually get symptoms and develop TB disease.
WHO says that a total of 1.25 million people died from TB in 2023 which also includes 161, 000 people with HIV. In 2023, an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, including 6.0 million men, 3.6 million women and 1.3 million children.
If TB is diagnosed, the disease can be cured. Read on as Dr Rishabh Raj, Consultant Chest Medicine and Critical Care at K J Somaiya Hospital & Research Centre and Dr Priti Shankar, Consultant Physician at Apollo Clinic, Indiranagar share ways to diagnose the disease and prevent it.
Even in today’s era of advanced medical facilities TB can still cause death and severe morbidity. Delays in diagnosis can result in serious complications and the spread of TB, which is still a major public health concern in India.
With the use of screening techniques including chest X-rays, symptom-based evaluation and sophisticated molecular assays like Truenat and Xpert MTB/RIF, early identification is essential. Targeted screening can greatly enhance early diagnosis in high-risk groups, including those with co-infections like HIV and immunosuppressed individuals. Mantoux test which is a form of skin prick test can be used to detect people exposed to tuberculosis infection. IGRA (tb gold) is another test which is and in vitro test that can be used to detect tuberculosis infection which is also known as latent TB. People who test positive for any of the above-mentioned tests can then be actively screened for the presence of active disease form in them.
Effective screening is impeded by obstacles including stigma, ignorance, and cost, though. The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme offers free TB diagnosis and treatment; nevertheless, better outreach and more economical methods are required. The path to a TB-free India can be paved by raising awareness, enhancing accessibility in rural regions, and strengthening infrastructure.
People with symptoms of cough, fever, weight loss or loss of appetite just need to visit any of the nearby centres to receive the necessary care. If they visit any private setup, they can then be re-directed from there to the nearby centre for further management.
There can be delays in identifying the symptoms both at patient and clinician level. Another challenge is related to the increased disease burden in our country which makes it difficult to test everyone for tuberculosis. Although all the diagnostic tests are provided free of cost through various government-aided tuberculosis programmes, making these programs available at the grassroots level is the challenge.
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