India reports 38% drop in TB deaths and 94% treatment success rate
The WHO 2026 Global Tuberculosis Report shows India’s TB mortality fell 38% since 2015 and treatment success reached 94%, aided by expanded community screening and digital diagnostics.
India’s tuberculosis (TB) mortality has fallen 38 per cent since 2015, outpacing the global decline of 35 per cent, according to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 released on 12 November. The report also notes a 94 per cent treatment success rate for patients with drug-susceptible TB.
The decline in mortality, from 28 per lakh in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025, reflects progress under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). Intensified screening, early diagnosis, rapid molecular testing, AI-enabled imaging and nutritional support have been central to the effort. Domestic resources meet 96 per cent of the programme’s funding needs, the government said.
The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’s community-based screening reached more than 25 crore people between 7 December 2024 and 8 November 2026. During that period, over 11 crore chest X-rays and more than 3 crore nucleic acid amplification tests were performed, identifying 48.64 lakh new TB cases, including 14.97 lakh asymptomatic infections. The campaign began with a 100-day intensive drive in December 2024 across 347 high-priority districts and later expanded nationwide, with a second phase launched on 24 March 2026 targeting high-risk villages, wards and congregate settings. In 2025, 67,933 Panchayats were declared TB-free.
Digital tools such as portable AI-enabled X-rays, rapid molecular diagnostics and the Ni-kshay platform support case detection, patient tracking and treatment monitoring. Nutritional assistance is provided through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, while the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative mobilises volunteers to offer nutritional and psychosocial aid. The programme also integrates TB screening with management of diabetes, undernutrition and other comorbidities.
Data for the WHO report were drawn from the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System, community verbal autopsies, Ni-kshay programme records and a nationally representative TB prevalence survey conducted by ICMR in 2025. The government continues to expand community participation through Panchayati Raj institutions, civil-society groups and private providers, and has launched youth-led JOSH Teams to boost awareness and grassroots mobilisation.