Context:

Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign in Panchkula, Haryana.

More on the News:

• The campaign aims to improve case detection, reduce diagnostic delays, and enhance treatment outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations.
• It is a part of the broader framework of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) under the aegis of the National Health Mission (NHM), which is aligned with the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB Elimination 2017–2025.
• A major focus of the Campaign will be the most vulnerable groups living in remote and underserved areas, marginalized communities, and individuals with co-morbidities such as diabetes, HIV, and malnutrition. 

NTEP and Current Scenario of TB:

• It aims to strategically reduce TB burden in India by 2025. 
• In 2020, the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) was renamed as the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP). 
• Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) is part of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) to ensure that all diagnosed TB patients are tested for drug resistance before starting treatment.

Progress under NTEP:

• The TB incidence rate decreased by 17.7%, from 237 per 100,000 in 2015 to 195 per 100,000 in 2023. 
• TB-related deaths have declined by 21.4%, from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023. 
• India conducted about 1.89 crore sputum smear tests and 68.3 lakh nucleic acid amplification tests, showing enhanced diagnostic access at all healthcare levels. 

As per the Global TB Report 2024 (by WHO), India saw a slight decline in the estimated number of tuberculosis cases and deaths in 2023, but it is nowhere near its elimination target. 

India had an estimated 28 lakh TB cases in 2023, accounting for 26% of the global cases and there were an estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29% of the deaths globally.

India's initiatives to eliminate TB

National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025): It outlines the government's plan to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in India by 2025. 

TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative: It is a collaboration between multiple sectors launched by the Government of India to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. 

DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short-course): It is a cost-effective strategy that is the international standard for TB elimination programs. 

• India has adapted and tested DOTS since 1993 under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP). 

Nikshay Poshan Yojana: Under it, nutritional support is provided to tuberculosis (TB) patients.

• The scheme was launched in April 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) as part of the National Health Mission (NHM). 

BpaLM: The BPaLM regimen is a four-drug combination of Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid, and Moxifloxacin. It was recommended by the WHO in 2022 

• It is a safer, more effective, and faster treatment for drug-resistant TB compared to the previous MDR-TB treatment (89% success rate within 6 months).
• India is the only global supplier of pretomanid, a key drug within the BPaL regimen. SS