Tuberculosis in India

In India, each year, approx. 220, 000 deaths are reported due to Tuberculosis. Between 2006 and 2014, the disease cost Indian economy USD 340 billion. This public health problem is the world's largest tuberculosis epidemic. India bears a disproportionately large burden of the world's tuberculosis rates, as it continues to be the biggest health problem in India. It remains one of the largest on India's health and wellness scale. India is the highest TB burden country with World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics for 2011 giving an estimated incidence figure of 2.2 million cases of TB for India out of a global incidence of 9.6 million cases. Compare India to Canada, where there are about 1,600 new cases of TB every year. Citing studies of TB-drug sales, the government now suggests the total went from being 2.2 million to 2.6 million people nationwide. Tuberculosis is India's biggest health issue, but what makes this issue worse is the recently discovered phenomenon of TDR-TB - Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. This issue of drug-resistant TB began with MDR-TB, and moved on to XDR-TB. Gradually, the most dangerous form has situated itself in India as TDR-TB.

"Within India, the Journal—using government data obtained through the Right to Information Act—has reported that India's drug-resistance rate is likely much higher than the 2% to 3% of TB cases reported to the WHO"^[4]

. In India, TB is responsible for the death of every third AIDS patient.

Tuberculosis is one of India's major public health problems. According to WHO estimates, India has the world's largest tuberculosis epidemic. Many research studies have shown the effects and concerns revolving around TDR-TB, especially in India; where social and economic positions are still in progression. In Zarir Udwadia’s report originated from the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, India explicitly discusses the drug-resistant effects and results. An experiment was conducted in January, 2012 on four patients to test how accurate the “new category” of TDR-TB is. These patients were given all the first-line drugs and second-line drugs that usually are prescribed to treat TB, and as a result were resistant to all. As a response, the government of India had stayed in denial, but WHO took it as a more serious matter and decided that although the patterns of drug-resistance were evident, they cannot rely on just that to create a new category of TDR-TB.

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