Mizoram sees alarming surge in TB deaths, 108 succumb to disease in 2023

A total of 108 people died of tuberculosis in Mizoram last year, officials said on Wednesday.

Blood samples of 17,432 people were tested last year, and of them, 2,272 were found suffering from TB, they said.

Of the 2,272 patients, 164 were diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), they said, adding that 86 per cent of the patients were successfully treated, while 108 people died.

Between January and March this year, a total of 595 people have been diagnosed with TB, out of the 3,761 samples tested.

Of them, 38 were diagnosed with MDR-TB and 57 people were found suffering from both TB and HIV-AIDS, officials said.

 

Of the patients, 6 per cent are diabetic, 33 per cent use tobacco and 16 per cent are alcoholic, they said.

So far this year, the Aizawl district reported the highest number of TB cases at 433, followed by Kolasib district (46) and Lunglei district (34).

West Mizoram's Mamit district recorded the least TB cases at five.

Only 187 people in the state have registered to adopt TB patients or donate for them through the 'Nikshay' platform under the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

The initiative was launched by President Droupadi Murmu in September 2022, aiming to augment community involvement in meeting India's commitment to end TB by 2025 ahead of the global target of 2030.