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By 2040, Over 62.4 Million People In India Might Have Tuberculosis: Study
A recent study has revealed a dire scenario for the country’s health, warning that over 62.4 million people in India might have tuberculosis by 2040. This staggering figure highlights the grave need to take immediate action against the disease, which continues to ravage the nation.
According to the study, India is expected to see more than 62.4 million TB cases across the country between 2021 and 2040, resulting in at least 8.1 million deaths caused by TB bacilli. The economic impact of this crisis could also be devastating, with a cumulative GDP loss of over $146 billion US dollars.
Despite India’s ambitious target to make the country tuberculosis-free by 2025, it appears that the ground realities are still quite bleak. Researchers emphasize the need for substantial investment in improvements in case detection and effective treatment options to prevent TB disease among approximately 1.7 billion people infected worldwide.
The study underscores the importance of detecting new cases as a crucial strategy to curb the spread of tuberculosis. Improved detection/diagnosis could potentially be more potent than developing new TB drugs, highlighting the pressing need for innovative solutions to tackle this public health crisis.
It is disheartening to see that less than half of the required funding of $2 billion per year, or $0.9 billion was invested globally in 2020 for the development of new TB diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines.
The study further highlights that if India’s National TB Elimination Programme (NTEPI) treatment regimen and expansion of TB detection rates can be developed and rolled out at a cost of U$123-124bn, it would be approximately cost-neutral and remove the suffering and loss caused by more than 7 million fatalities and more than 48 million cases of TB.
The consequences of inaction are severe. It is imperative that India takes immediate action to address this crisis head-on, investing in innovative solutions and treatment options to prevent a catastrophic future where over 62.4 million people might have tuberculosis by 2040.
Source: www.forbes.com
