World Tuberculosis Day 2021

World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated each year on March 24 to increase efforts to end the global tuberculosis epidemic and to raise public awareness about the health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB). Dr. Robert Koch in 1882 on this date announced the discovery of bacterium that causes TB.

The theme of World TB Day 2021 is ‘The Clock is Ticking’.

The theme emphasizes that we are running out of time to achieve the goal to End TB made by global leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic has also diluted the gains made over recent years. But now we need urgent actions to reach the targets.

WHO calls on everyone to keep the promises to:

Accelerate the End TB response
Diagnose and treat 40 million people with TB by 2022
Reach 30 million people with TB preventive treatment by 2022

THE CLOCK IS TICKING. IT’S TIME TO KEEP OUR PROMISES. IT’S TIME TO #END TB

National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP): Itis a programme for prevention and control of TB in country by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It has integrated four strategic pillars of “Detect – Treat – Prevent – Build” (DTPB) under National Strategic Plan 2017-2025 for moving towards TB elimination by 2025.

“Call to eliminate TB, by 2025 – 5 years in advance of the goals unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

Global Plan to End TB

Other new initiatives underNTEPare:

Private Sector Engagement-Involvement of private sector health services providers in disease notification, detection and treatment of TB patients.

Active Case Finding (ACF)- TB patients were diagnosed through 3 rounds of ACF in high risk population in 2017.
Daily Treatment Regimen-Fixed dose combination started to reduce pill burden
Universal Drug Susceptibility Test-Testing for drug resistance in all diagnosed patients for appropriate treatment
Introduction of Newer Drugs - Bedaquiline, and Delamanid introduction in 7 states/UTs
Nutritional support-To provide Rs 500 per month as nutritional support to all TB patients for the duration of TB treatment
Digital Initiatives NIKSHAY, 99 DOTS, NIKSHAY Aushadhi
To engage influential persons, religious leaders in the programme