Towards a TB-Free India

The JOSH campaign, or Joint Squad for Health, is a community mobilisation effort supporting India’s TB elimination goal. It focuses on awareness, timely screening, early diagnosis, treatment adherence and reducing stigma. Its central idea is that health services work better when young people and communities actively participate.

Each JOSH team includes MY BHARAT volunteers, National Cadet Corps cadets and a designated Class-I officer. On 13 October 2026, teams operated across 11 states and 55 districts on a pilot basis. They used social media, photographs, videos and stories to encourage people to seek screening and complete treatment.

The campaign also reaches vulnerable and marginalised groups, where fear and low awareness can delay care. Ministries, healthcare institutions, youth organisations, students and citizens are invited to amplify the message. By combining institutional support with grassroots action, JOSH strengthens the Jan Andolan approach to a TB-free India.

India has made substantial progress against tuberculosis. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of new TB cases emerging each year fell by 21%. Deaths from TB also declined by 28% during the same period. These changes place India on a stronger path towards eliminating a widespread and potentially fatal disease.

The comparison with the world is striking. Globally, new cases declined by 12% over the same period, so India’s 21% reduction was 9 percentage points greater. India’s treatment coverage was 92%, while global coverage stood at 78%. This suggests that more people with TB are being reached and treated in India.

The progress reflects a multi-pronged response involving detection, screening, treatment, technology, local health services and community participation. Intensified campaigns have expanded screening and prevention. Continued early diagnosis, treatment access and public involvement will be important for sustaining the decline and reaching elimination.

India is combining portable imaging, digital tools and newer medicines to find and treat TB faster. Handheld X-ray units have expanded X-ray screening 34-fold. This matters because more people can be screened closer to their communities, including those who may not easily reach advanced health facilities.

The TB Mukt Bharat App includes Khushi, an AI chatbot, and the national response also uses advanced AI-driven triage tools. These tools support the process of identifying people who may need attention and directing screening or care. For drug-resistant TB, the BPaLM regimen combines bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid and moxifloxacin.

The article describes BPaLM as shorter and safer for drug-resistant patients. These technologies and treatments strengthen a broader programme built around screening, diagnosis, affordable care and community participation. Their continued use could help India reach more patients earlier and improve treatment delivery as elimination efforts expand.

Early screening matters because TB can be present in people who do not yet recognise symptoms. Finding cases promptly allows treatment to begin sooner and reduces the chance of transmission in homes and communities. It also helps identify people who need medical assessment before illness becomes severe.

Preventive treatment is another protective step. The campaign has provided TB Preventive Treatment to more than 20 lakh individuals. Such treatment helps people with TB infection avoid progressing to active disease. For people already ill, taking medicines as prescribed and completing the course helps clear the infection and supports recovery.

Stopping treatment early can leave TB insufficiently treated. It may remain dangerous, spread to others or become drug-resistant, making future care more difficult. India’s 92% treatment coverage shows strong reach, but continued screening, prevention, adherence support and stigma reduction are needed to prevent deaths and transmission.

Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect organs such as the brain, kidneys and spine. TB matters because infection does not affect everyone in the same way: some infected people become sick, while others do not.

Active TB is the disease state in which the bacteria are multiplying and causing illness. When it affects the lungs, a person may also be able to spread TB through the air. Inactive, or latent, TB means the bacteria remain in the body without causing symptoms or active disease. A person with latent infection generally does not spread TB.

Latent infection can later become active, especially when health conditions weaken the body’s ability to control the bacteria. Screening helps find both illness and infection risks. TB Preventive Treatment can help prevent progression, while active TB requires timely diagnosis and a complete treatment course.

TB spreads mainly through the air when a person with infectious TB of the lungs or throat releases bacteria while coughing, speaking, singing or breathing. Others may inhale these airborne particles, especially during prolonged or close exposure in poorly ventilated spaces. This is why early detection, ventilation and timely treatment matter.

TB is not usually transmitted by touching someone or by sharing objects. A handshake does not generally spread the bacteria. Nor do shared food, public toilets, clothing or ordinary social contact normally transmit TB. The important route is inhaling bacteria-containing air from an infectious person, not casual physical contact.

People should therefore respond to TB with screening and medical care, not fear or exclusion. The JOSH campaign specifically promotes stigma-free communities. Finding infectious cases early and ensuring effective treatment reduces the time they can spread TB, while awareness helps people seek care without delay.

Drug-resistant TB occurs when TB bacteria are not effectively killed by one or more medicines normally used against the disease. It is harder to treat because clinicians must use other effective medicines, monitor patients carefully and manage a more complex treatment process. Delayed diagnosis or incomplete treatment can worsen the problem.

India has introduced BPaLM for drug-resistant patients. The regimen combines bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid and moxifloxacin. The article describes it as shorter and safer than earlier approaches. A shorter regimen can make it easier for patients to remain on treatment, while improved safety can support adherence and reduce treatment burdens.

BPaLM is part of a wider response that includes advanced AI-driven triage, expanded X-ray screening and community outreach. Its success still depends on finding patients promptly, matching them with appropriate care and supporting them through the full course. These steps help limit illness, transmission and further resistance.