India has the highest TB burden in the world, but in Kerala, the incidence is already down to 44 cases per 1,00,000 population. India has vowed to eliminate TB by 2025 — five years ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Kerala has started an ambitious plan to eliminate tuberculosis — if it succeeds, it will be the first state in the country to do so. A quarter of tuberculosis cases in the world are in India. WHO defines TB elimination as an incidence rate of 1 or less case per million population per year.
In Kerala, the plan is vulnerability mapping of populations across the state. About 25 lakh individuals have already been identified for TB surveillance. The state is now preparing to treat all those with latent TB infection with preventive medication,12 doses of Rifapentin and Isoniazid. Kerala recently showcased its TB plan to WHO Deputy Director General of Programmes.
The Person was impressed and stated that they have completed the vulnerability mapping and identified people at risk were mostly were the smokers, drinkers, and people living in poverty. For India though, the current rate is obviously not good enough and we will have to bend it quite sharply to achieve the target. Looking for high-risk groups is key
