TB cases dropped by 30% in 2020, MDR TB rose from 4% to 5%

The drop in cases could be due to increased pressure on the health infrastructure and ignorance towards other diseases due to the pandemic

PUNE In 2020, the reporting of Tuberculosis cases in the state went down by 30% as compared to the previous year as only 1.60 lakh cases were reported vis-à-vis 2.27 lakh Tuberculosis cases in 2019. The drop in cases could be due to increased pressure on the health infrastructure and ignorance towards other diseases due to the pandemic. The state also saw over 8,000 multidrug resistant (MDR) Tuberculosis cases in the first year of the pandemic, which was 5% of the total cases reported; an increase in the MDR TB cases as compared to previous years.

In 2020, the reporting of Tuberculosis cases in the state went down by 30% as compared to the previous year as only 1.60 lakh cases were reported vis-à-vis 2.27 lakh Tuberculosis cases in 2019. (RE[RESENTATIVE IMAGE)

As per the state health department, in 2020, the state saw 160,072 confirmed cases of Tuberculosis which was a 30% drop as compared to 227,004 confirmed cases of Tuberculosis reported in 2019. The data also showed that this was the first time in the past four years that the state saw a drop in the reporting (notifications) of Tuberculosis cases. Despite the fall in the reporting of TB cases, the percentage of MDR TB and extreme drug resistant (XDR) TB increased in 2020. In 2019, 4% of the total confirmed cases were those of MDR TB which in the following years rose to 5%. In 2019, 0.29% of the total confirmed cases were those of XDR TB while the next year, they went down to 0.26%.

In view of the pandemic, the entire health machinery was burdened with Covid-19 cases, reporting, contact tracing, treatment, and hospital bed management followed by vaccination, and so, the reporting of other ailments was affected. Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer said, “It is true that the notifications have dropped down by 30% and there has been a slight rise in MDR TB and XDR TB cases. Both MDR and XDR TB cases are of serious concern as the treatment could be difficult for the patient and also the risk of spread of infection to the family. Before Covid-19, Tuberculosis was one of the biggest reasons for deaths among communicable diseases and now, we are working on multiple fronts to increase surveillance and ensure that the treatment is thoroughly followed by all the active cases.”

The case fatality rate due to TB in 2020 was about 4.36% which was much more than the CFR reported in the state due to Covid-19 in the first or second wave.