World TB Day 2002 - In the News

The Press Trust of India
Headline: Every third TB patient is an Indian: WHO
Dateline: New Delhi, March 25, 2002

India has the maximum number of Tuberculosis (TB) patients in the world and the fatality rate is quite high in view of delayed diagnosis, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report has said.

"India bears one third of the global TB burden which means every third TB patient in the whole world is an Indian". the report released on the occasion of World TB Day. According to the report as many as 500,000 Indians fall prey to the "curable" disease, the fatality rate being as high as three million worldwide which might escalate to four million by 2005.

The reason behind the fatal nature of the disease is delayed diagnosis, the report says.

TB, supposed to be a curable disease, is in reality, the "highest killer", much ahead of AIDS, Malaria or Hepatitis B.

Despite the fact that TB drugs are quite inexpensive 60 per cent of the Indians give up treatment prematurely. With proper medication for the desired time, 98 per cent of the TB patients could be fully cured, it says.

The report further states that 50 per cent of all HIV positive people develop TB and the fatality rate goes up to 30 per cent.

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