Mumbai records over 54,000 TB cases in 2025, cure rate improves to 81 per cent

Ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24 the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC on Monday said the cure rate of drugresistant tuberculosis DRTB patients in the city has doubled over the past eight years reaching 81 per cent reflecting improvements in diagnosis treatment and patient support systemsAccording to the BMCrsquos Health Department Mumbai recorded a total of 54390 tuberculosis TB cases in 2025 of which 48835 patients were city residents Of the total cases 40 per cent were extrapulmonary TB 6 per cent were paediatric cases and 8 per cent were drugresistant TB casesThis yearrsquos World Tuberculosis Day theme ldquoYes We can end TB Led by countries Powered by peoplerdquo underscores the importance of strong government leadership and community participation in eliminating the diseaseEnhanced diagnostics and infrastructureThe civic body said significant efforts have been made to strengthen diagnostic facilities across Mumbai Currently health centres are equipped with 45 CBNAAT machines and 34 portable TruNAAT devices enabling free and accurate detection of TB and rifampicinresistant TBAdditionally the Central TB Division is set to provide four PathoDetect machines for advanced detection of TB and resistance to key drugs At present two such machines are operational at Sir JJ Hospital and the Intermediate Reference Laboratory IRL at GTB Hospital In 2025 alone nearly two lakh molecular NAAT tests were conductedThe Culture and Drug Susceptibility Testing DST laboratory at GTB Sewri TB Hospital has been upgraded to an IRL while a new TB laboratory has been made operational at Kasturba HospitalFocus on targeted care and advanced treatmentUnder the lsquoDifferentiated TB Carersquo initiative which identifies highrisk patients and ensures tailored treatment as many as 19172 patients have been registeredFor drugresistant TB patients free treatment is being provided through 31 specialised DRTB clinics The BMC has also introduced an advanced sixmonth BPaLM treatment regimen By December 2025 1093 patients had begun this treatment with 89 completing it successfullyIn a move towards precision medicine the civic body has also piloted the use of Whole Genome Sequencing WGS to better understand drug resistance patterns A study involving 2500 samples has been completed and is expected to be incorporated into the programme following central approvalLargescale screening and preventive measuresUnder the National TB Elimination Programme the Centrersquos ldquoTBFree India Campaignrdquo launched in 2025 saw extensive screening efforts in Mumbai A total of 1308 lakh highrisk individuals were screened and 124774 suspected patients underwent Xray examinationsTo improve early detection 24 handheld Xray machines have been deployed with 19 currently operational across 16 suburban hospitals and GTB Hospital An additional 24 machines have been introduced through CSR initiatives During 2025ndash2026 over 74000 Xrays were conductedPreventive strategies have also been strengthened The CyTB test is being used to detect infections even in asymptomatic individuals In 2025 13311 highrisk individuals were screened of whom 1961 tested positive and 1655 were started on preventive treatmentNutritional support and community outreachThe BMC highlighted the importance of nutritional support in TB recovery Under the Nikshay Mitra initiative patients receive monthly nutrition kits for six months Over the past two years 148867 ration kits have been distributed under the Nikshay Poshan YojanaTo mark World Tuberculosis Day 2026 the civic body will conduct an extensive awareness campaign across all 26 municipal wards Activities will include hoardings awareness drives at BEST bus stops health talks street plays and jingles over a weeklong periodSymptoms not to be ignoredThe BMC urged citizens to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as a persistent cough lasting more than two weeks fever weight loss night sweats loss of appetite chest pain difficulty breathing coughing up blood or sputum fatigue or swelling in the neckResidents have been advised to visit the nearest BMC dispensary health post or ldquoAapla Dawakhanardquo for free testing and treatment