India records 38% drop in TB mortality since 2015: WHO report

India has witnessed a significant 38% decrease in tuberculosis mortality rates since 2015, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO). This progress is even more impressive when compared to the global average of 35%. Moreover, India boasts a commendable 94% treatment success rate for drug-susceptible TB cases.

In 2025, the South-East Asia Region led in reporting the highest number of new TB cases, accounting for 35% of the total. This was followed by the Western Pacific Region, which contributed 27%, and the African Region, responsible for 25% of the new cases. Out of the 1.13 million TB-related deaths reported globally, India alone accounted for a substantial portion.

India's efforts to combat TB have been lauded by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who credited various initiatives such as proactive case finding, rapid diagnostics, prompt treatment initiation, differentiated TB care, and nutritional support under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). These interventions have led to the identification and screening of over 25 crore individuals since December 7, 2024.

Additionally, the Ministry highlighted the use of AI-powered tools for hotspot identification, prediction of high-risk cases, and AI-driven chatbots and videobots to support TB care.