Tuberculosis is curable, but in India it continues to kill one person every minute. With a predilection for the breadwinners of families, this disease pushes many families deeper into poverty, ravaging much more than its victims' individual health.
Tuberculosis is truly an economic as well as a public health burden.
Yet it strikes 2 million people each year in our country exacting a toll higher than many tropical diseases put together. The transmission, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are well characterized. Powerful anti-tuberculosis drugs have been available for half a century. Elements of effective strategies for control have been known for several decades. Nonetheless, tuberculosis control is still a dream for many countries, including India.