India today pledged its commitment to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global goal to reduce the number of such deaths by 90 per cent by 2030. Speaking at the 29th meeting of Stop TB Partnership coordination committee, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that India has formulated a national strategic plan with a special focus on stamping out the bactrial disease at grassroot levels. “We have implemented daily drug regimen for treating tuberculosis (TB) in five states and by the year end it will be rolled out in the entire country,” Nadda said.

 

The new regimen helps in reducing relapse rates and number of drug-resistant TB cases. Nadda said that at present 628 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines are functioning in the country for quick diagnosis of TB and the ministry will procure 500 more equipments which diagnoses TB within two hours.

 

Source: Financial Express