In March, a significant development emerged in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in India, particularly targeting pediatric patients. The approval of medlinkDelamanid/medlink for children under the age of five has marked a pivotal moment in pediatric TB treatment. This milestone not only offers hope for alleviating the suffering of young patients but also signifies a major leap forward in combating TB, especially in its drug-resistant forms. The Central TB Division announced ..read more

Eamonn Murphy's keynote address at the End TB Dialogues Summit highlights the ongoing relevance of integrating TB and HIV services, echoing a call to action initiated by Dr. France almost two decades ago to "break the silos" for improved healthcare delivery (!--ref1--). "The two worst global health problems have combined forces well. But the institutions addressing them have miserably failed to put their act together," wrote Dr Tim France, a noted global health thought leader, in an op-ed ..read more

Experts emphasized that although coughing (!--ref1--) is a prominent symptom of tuberculosis (TB), it's crucial for people to understand that many cases can present without this indicator. As per experts, people need to watch for signs like unexplained weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, and prolonged fever instead. Additionally, chest pain, difficulty in breathing, and coughing up blood can indicate advanced stages of the disease. h2 Early Detection of Tuberculosis /h2 "Vigilance ..read more

Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with Biofabri, a Spanish biopharmaceutical firm, is conducting trials for the first live attenuated vaccine MTBVAC (!--ref1--) derived from a human strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These trials aim to assess the safety and immunogenicity of MTBVAC, with a pivotal trial on safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy scheduled to commence in 2025. "After more than three decades of research, it is a giant step to test in adults and adolescents in the country ..read more

Dr. Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, previously leading India's TB elimination program at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, highlighted that unreported Tuberculosis (TB) cases and delays in diagnosis and treatment pose significant challenges to India's objective of eliminating the infection by 2025. (!--ref1--) According to the latest global research published in iThe Lancet Infectious Diseases/i journal, ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, b tuberculosis incidence in India dropped only marginally by 0 ..read more

The TB Mukt Panchayat Initiative (!--ref1--) by the government has the potential to aid India in combating tuberculosis (TB) by involving local communities to raise widespread awareness about the disease. However, its lacunas need to be addressed, said experts. The flagship programme was launched on March 24, last year, to meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating TB by 2030. India has, however, accelerated the timeline by 2025. "The b TB Panchayat Initiative ..read more

Eleven Tuberculosis (TB) vaccines (!--ref1--) are currently advancing through phase II and III stages of development, presenting a pivotal opportunity to mitigate the escalating global disease burden. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bTB affects an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide and is also one of the leading causes of death globally. /b h2 Promising TB Vaccines in Phase III Trials /h2 The report from GlobalData, a data and analytics company, revealed ..read more

bHighlights:/bul liCommemorating Dr. Koch's discovery while acknowledging strides made since/li liTB's ongoing impact on communities, economies, and global health goals/li liEmpowering individuals and organizations to contribute to TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts/li/ul h2World Tuberculosis Day: History/h2 World TB Day commemorates the landmark discovery of the medlinkMycobacterium tuberculosis/medlink bacteria by Dr ..read more

Although a persistent cough has traditionally been considered a key symptom of medlinktuberculosis/medlink, it is imperative to explore new diagnostic approaches for the world's most lethal infection. A recent study revealed that a majority of patients do not exhibit this common symptom, highlighting the need for alternative diagnostic methods. The study, published in the journal iLancet Infectious Diseases,/i analysed data on more than 600,000 individuals in Africa and Asia. The ..read more

India witnessed a 16% decline in tuberculosis incidence, surpassing the global average of 8.7%, stated Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya. The Stop TB Partnership is hosted by UNOPS and is a collective force transforming the fight against TB. This comes as India is committed towards ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030. "TB has been a global health problem for decades now. After two challenging years dominated by disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic ..read more