According to this WHO annual report on tuberculosis, India has recorded about 63,000 cases of notified multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in 2010, the highest in the South East Asia region.

Countries in the WHO South-East Asia (SEA) Region have made significant progress towards the TB-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The estimated incidence and prevalence of all forms of TB and estimated TB mortality, all continue to show a downward trend. The treatment success rate among new smear-positive pulmonary TB cases has remained above 85% since 2005, and was 88% in 2010. Approximately 40% of the estimated global number of cases occur in the SEA Region (based on current estimates) as well as more that one fourth on the MDR-TB burden. The collaboration between TB and HIV control programmes is improving. Many of the constraints to effective implementation of TB control services in Member States relate to underlying weaknesses and under-financing of national health systems in general, many of which are already overstretched in terms of both infrastructure and staffing. To enable continuing scale-up of critical interventions there is an urgent need to sustain current financial commitments and to advocate for additional financial resources.

See Also

Feature: Government in denial mode.

Feature: TB turns invincible.

Report: Global tuberculosis control 2011.

Report: India tuberculosis control project.

Report: Public health in South Asia.

Report: Commercial serodiagnostic tests for diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Report: The Millennium Development Goals report 2011.

Feature: MDR-TB - a threat to global control of tuberculosis