Maharashtra Identifies Over 40,000 TB Patients in 100-Day Screening Campaign

Pune, 24th March 2025: India accounts for 25% of global tuberculosis (TB) cases, with Maharashtra contributing 10% of the country’s total cases. To combat this, the state health department launched a 100-day campaign across 17 districts and 13 municipalities to detect and treat TB patients. The initiative successfully identified over 40,000 TB cases.

Dr. Sandeep Sangale, Deputy Director of the state’s TB department, stated, “Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, primarily spreading through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Last year, Maharashtra examined over 3.5 million suspected TB cases, resulting in 230,315 confirmed diagnoses. The Central TB Department set a target of identifying 230,000 TB patients for Maharashtra this year. Between January and February 2025, 754,611 people were screened, leading to 39,705 new diagnoses.”

100-Day TB Screening Campaign

Marking World TB Day on March 24, the health department launched a 100-day TB detection drive from 7 December 2024 to 24 March 2025. The campaign focused on screening high-risk areas, ultimately identifying 40,471 TB patients.

To strengthen early detection, 80 digital handheld X-ray machines were deployed across districts, helping health officials diagnose and treat patients promptly, Dr. Sangale added.

India’s TB-Free Goal: Challenges Ahead

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target for India to become TB-free by 2025. However, the latest data suggests that despite intensified detection efforts, the high number of new cases indicates that meeting this goal within the timeframe may be challenging. Under the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tuberculosis is expected to be eliminated globally by 2030.

TB Statistics in Maharashtra