50th Union World Conference on Lung Health

Photo  : Panelists with TB survivors

Satellite Session focuses on ‘Managing Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A Way Forward for India’

India

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Chandigarh, November 02, 2019 :

The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health, held for the first time in 50 years in India, featured a satellite session entitled: ‘Managing Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A way forward for India’ at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre today. Organised and hosted by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and India Health Fund with support from Sanofi – a global healthcare company in India- the session highlighted the importance of tackling latent TB infection (LTBI) in India, current interventions and the way forward.

An impressive panel of experts, TB and HIV survivors, included Dr. K.S. Sachdeva, Dy. Director General, Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program, India and Dr. Rohit Sarin, Director National Institute for Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi. The participants deliberated on topics such as diagnosis and treatment options for LTBI, vaccines and immunological markers for TB prevention, the role of the private sector, TB prevention strategies beyond medical management, and innovation as the way forward.

A person with LTBI has small quantities of dormant TB bacteria, but no symptoms or signs of TB disease and is not infectious. Without treatment, however, about 5-10% of such people will develop TB over a lifetime. Conditions such as diabetes, malnourishment, and HIV increase the risk of developing TB disease among persons with LTBI. Worldwide, an estimated 1.7 billion people – almost a quarter of the world’s population have LTBI. In low incidence settings such as Europe, most TB cases result from progression of LTBI to TB disease. Appropriate treatment of LTBI is available and can prevent progression to TB disease. Increasing availability of short-term treatment regimens against LTBI could make this more efficient and feasible.

India has the highest burden of TB disease in the world with an estimated incidence of approximately 2.7 million per year (2018) and studies show that about 40% of India’s population has LTBI.  Adoption of 2018 WHO recommendations to address LTBI in India will prevent TB cases occurring from those with LTBI and, as a result, further reduce transmission of TB disease. In order to succeed in this effort, India’s Revised National TB Control Program needs to identify high-risk groups, provide treatment and perform rigorous follow-up to ensure treatment completion. The United Nations High Level Meeting on TB (2018) recommended that globally 30 million people be put on treatment for LTBI by 2022 in order to meet WHO End TB targets.

There is evidence and greater consensus among global experts that countries with high burden such as India should also address latent TB along with TB disease. Therefore, India is determined to address LTBI and be an important player at the forefront of the fight against TB.