TB Mukt Bharat: Over 3 lakh Indians died of tuberculosis in 2023

Hyderabad: India remains the country with the most deaths due to Tuberculosis (TB). In 2023 alone, more than 300,000 Indians died from TB, making it a major healthcare concern.

The 14th annual meeting of the Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis (RePORT)- India initiative held at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) discussed this pressing concern.

The three-day meeting is attended by 115 experts, including scientists, clinicians, and epidemiologists from India and the United States, to review a decade of research efforts and discuss strategies to combat the disease.

The discussions are centred around examining various aspects of TB treatment and prevention, including age-specific immune responses, regional infection patterns, household transmission patterns, and developments in vaccines and diagnostics.

The RePORT India consortium maintains a biorepository of biological samples from TB patients that supports ongoing research. The meeting brings out various studies done using those samples.

During his keynote address, Dr. Anurag Bhargava from Yenepoya University called for a shift from a germ-centered approach to a people-centered approach to TB, focusing on patient susceptibility, immunity, and access to care.

“TB deaths are predictable and preventable. India should now consider having a rural cohort of patients for TB assessment studies. Such a cohort can help study the effects of various factors such as co-morbidities caused by diabetes, anemia, and ill-nutrition”, he said.

Dr. Vinay K. Nandicoori, Director of CSIR-CCMB, emphasized the need for greater collaboration between fundamental biologists, clinicians, and public health researchers to develop effective solutions.

“It is imperative for us to work closely with clinicians and public health researchers. These silos based on one’s expertise have to fade out in India, and TB is a challenge that we are all aligned with to facilitate us working together”, he added.

Dr Senbagavalli Prakash Babu, Program Manager, RePORT India, said, “RePORT India stands as a solid example towards the commitment and integrity of TB researchers to combat the disease through intensified research, one of the important components of the National Strategic Plan.”