Guwahati: Tuberculosis (TB) cases diagnosed in Assam have shown a steady increase over the last four years owing to increased testing since 2022. The three years prior to that recorded less number of TB cases.In 2022, the number of diagnosed patients was 47,308. In 2023, it increased to 50,989. In 2024, it slightly decreased to 50,214, and in 2025, it rose again to 52,061.
The health officials have described the rise as a positive sign, attributing it partly to improved and meticulous testing across the state. They expressed hope that timely identification and treatment of patients would strengthen efforts to eradicate the disease and make Assam TB free completely.Director of health services Umesh Phangcho said, “Our main objective is to increase testing, as we do not want people to continue living with undiagnosed TB”Phangcho called for an increase in the annualised presumptive TB examination rate in Assam as part of efforts to reduce the burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the state. Highlighting the data from the last four years, he said that in 2022, a total of 842 tests were conducted. The number increased to 1,841 tests in 2023. In 2024, the figure further rose to 2,271, and last year it reached 2,511.“Despite the rising numbers, it would be very encouraging if we could increase the number of tests to 3,000–4,000 per lakh population. I hope we can achieve this target this year,” he said.Phangcho said the state’s strengths in eliminating TB include 964 TB detection centres, 265 testing sites, 180 X-ray centres, and 81 AI-enabled handheld X-ray units. The state also has one Intermediate Reference Laboratory in Guwahati and one culture and drug susceptibility testing (CDST) laboratory in Silchar. In addition, there are 13,736 Nikshay Mitras who provide nutritional food kits, diagnostic support, and vocational assistance to TB patients who have consented to receive such support.As part of the ‘Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’, Phangcho also emphasised the role of the media in working in tandem with the mission. “The media should help educate the public about TB and its symptoms,” he said.
