The Outlying Epidemic: India’s Tuberculosis Elimination Goals Amidst Covid-19

Authored by Shubhangi Gokhroo

Edited by Kavita Majumdar

Read the report here.

India accounts for one in every four tuberculosis (TB) cases around the globe. The fact that TB is easily transmitted to people with pre-existing conditions like HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and lung impairment, among other immunity deteriorating factors, is concerning in contemporary times. As India leaps to overcome the USA and become the nation most infected with Covid-19, the risk to current TB patients could rise exponentially. Moreover, the susceptibility to and treatment of Covid-19 among TB patients could both be impacted negatively, leading to a possible nullification of the progress towards eliminating TB in India by 2025. In this context, this paper evaluates the worsening state of the TB epidemic in India’s battle against Covid-19.