Tuberculosis elimination is the effort to reduce the number of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

(TB) cases to less than one per 1 million population, contrasted with the effort to completely eradicate infection in humans worldwide. The goal of tuberculosis elimination is hampered by the lack of rapid testing, short and effective treatment courses, and completely effective vaccine. The WHO as well as the

Stop TB Partnership The Stop TB Partnership was established in 2001 to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem. Its 1500 partner organizations include international, nongovernmental and governmental organizations and patient groups. The secretariat is based ...

aim for the full elimination of TB by 2050—requiring a 1000-fold reduction in tuberculosis incidence. As of 2017, tuberculosis has not been eliminated from any country.

Feasibility

Prospects for tuberculosis control and elimination

Tuberculosis has been a curable illness since the 1940s when the first drugs became available, although multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB present an increasing challenge. According to a 2017 article in ''

International Journal of Infectious Diseases The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), established in 1986, is a nonprofit organization that monitors infectious diseases on a global scale. It also offers grants and fellowships, publishes a journal, and runs online learning pl ...

'', tuberculosis eradication is possible if enough technology, funding, and

political will Political will is defined as "the extent of committed support among key decision makers for a particular policy solution to a particular problem." It is also considered by political scientist Linn Hammergren to be "the slipperiest concept in the po ...

were available, but the characteristics of the disease do not make it easy to eradicate. So far, tuberculosis has not been eliminated from any country. According to ''European Respiratory Review'', tuberculosis eradication is not considered possible due to the lack of a completely effective vaccine and large reservoir of people infected with

latent tuberculosis Latent tuberculosis (LTB), also called latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is when a person is infected with ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'', but does not have active tuberculosis. Active tuberculosis can be contagious while latent tuberculosis i ...

. According to a 2013 review, tuberculosis elimination will require not just treating

active tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

but also latent cases, and eliminating tuberculosis by 2050 worldwide is not possible, although great reductions in infections and deaths are possible. Another necessary factor in achieving tuberculosis elimination is addressing poverty. Tuberculosis disproportionately affects people living in poverty, because it is exacerbated by poor living conditions and malnutrition and poverty can be a barrier to accessing treatment. The WHO has estimated that eliminating poverty would reduce tuberculosis incidence by 84 percent.

Elimination strategies

Globally

In 2014, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

launched the

End TB Strategy End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) **End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) ** End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron football ...

with the goal of reducing tuberculosis deaths by 95% and incidence by 90% before 2035. As of 2020, the world was not on track to meet those goals. The WHO, as well as the

, are now aiming for the full elimination of TB by the year 2050, which will require a 1000-fold reduction in the incidence of the disease.

India

In 2017, the Indian government announced its intention to eliminate tuberculosis in the country by 2025. The previous year, it accounted for 27 percent of tuberculosis cases and 29 percent of deaths worldwide, making it the highest burden country for both tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

References

{{Tuberculosis Epidemiology Health campaigns Tuberculosis