Lucknow: More than half of the tuberculosis (TB) cases confirmed through laboratory tests in India show no symptoms, noted a national TB prevalence survey release here on Monday.
“The survey found that 52% of bacteriologically positive TB cases were asymptomatic, while another 17% had symptoms but had not initiated treatment,” an official spokesperson said, adding, “the finding speaks for the challenge in early detection of TB and the overall goal towards TB elimination efforts.”
Health experts said the findings underscore the need for targeted screening of high-risk groups, particularly as UP intensifies efforts to eliminate tuberculosis.
According to Dr Ashutosh Dubey, chest physician at Civil Hospital, people with latent or asymptomatic TB infection do not develop symptoms such as persistent cough, fever or weight loss and do not transmit the disease. However, the dormant infection can become active if immunity weakens because of diabetes, HIV, malnutrition, cancer, smoking or old age.
Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, the govt is screening close contacts of TB patients and offering TB preventive treatment (TPT) to eligible individuals to reduce the risk of developing active disease.
Officials said 53,967 asymptomatic TB cases were identified in UP during the recently concluded 100-day ‘TB-Mukt Bharat’ campaign, reflecting the scale of hidden infections in the state.
Dr Rajendra Prasad, vice-chairperson of the National TB Task Force, said eliminating TB would require greater emphasis on identifying latent infections alongside treating active cases. He said timely testing of high-risk individuals and preventive treatment could significantly reduce the future burden of tuberculosis.
Experts advised people who have been in prolonged contact with an active TB patient or belong to vulnerable groups to undergo testing at govt health facilities even if they do not have symptoms.
