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By Shalini Bhadrwaj:
The central government is expected to announce the expansion of its tuberculosis program to all districts across the country, alongside an extension of the 100-day TB campaign, which concludes today, official sources said. Initially implemented in 445 districts, the initiative has shown significant success in TB detection and treatment, prompting authorities to consider scaling it up nationwide. Sources told ANI that the Union Health Ministry will extend the program to sustain momentum in tackling the disease. In recognition of outstanding efforts during the campaign, the ministry will felicitate states, Union Territories, and panchayats in various categories at a special event marking World TB Day. "We will be honouring states, UTs, and villages that demonstrated exemplary support and performance during the 100-day TB awareness drive," sources stated. The campaign, supported by thousands of elected representatives and 22 ministries, has yielded substantial results. A total of 13.46 lakh Ni-kshay camps were conducted, screening 12.97 crore vulnerable individuals. Among them, 2.85 lakh asymptomatic cases were notified, and 7.19 lakh TB patients were detected. "If this initiative had not been launched, many asymptomatic TB cases could have gone undetected," an official remarked. India's progress in combating TB has been recognized in the WHO's Global TB Report 2024, which highlights a decline in the country's TB incidence rate--from 237 cases per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh in 2023. (ANI)
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