Amid Covid spike, TB’s silent comeback- Chandigarh records highest incidence rate while Haryana stands fourth

Amid Covid spike, TB’s silent comeback: Chandigarh records highest incidence rate while Haryana stands fourth

There has been a continuous effort to wrestle the weight of tuberculosis (TB) in Chandigarh. Despite the ongoing endeavors to control the infectious disease in the country, it has reached the highest incidence rates in Chandigarh and the fourth-highest incidence rate in Haryana.

Between 2020 and 2023, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh saw an increase in cases, posing a hurdle in meeting the central government’s goal of an 80% reduction in new cases by 2025.

Tuberculosis which is popularly known as TB is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease primarily affects the lungs and is both preventable and curable. It is an air-borne disease which spreads from person-to-person through air transmission.

According to data till the month of November, Chandigarh has record the highest TB case notification rate in India which stands at 475 cases per 100,000 people. This is a notable increase from the incidence rate recorded in 2020 which was 366 per 100,000 people. According to Nikshay, which enables the monitoring of universal access to TB patients, the total number of cases in Chandigarh surged from 4,294 to 5,262 during this period.

When followed closely, it was found that Delhi record an incidence rate of 473, and Puducherry recorded 291 cases per 100,000 people by the end of November this year.

The recorded data highlights the evolving landscape of TB incidence in the region which necessitates a strategic and focused approach to alleviate the impact of the disease.

For controlling TB, state and district specific strategic plans for targeted interventions in high-burden areas have been drawn under the National TB Elimination Programme. All the patients are provided free drugs and diagnostics and an active TB case-finding campaign in key vulnerable and co-morbid populations.