National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)
National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, with India accounting for 26% of the world’s TB burden, making it one of the most significant public health challenges of the century. To address this, India is actively working towards TB elimination through the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP), a key initiative by the Government of India. In Tamil Nadu, this program is being adapted to ensure early TB detection and effective connections to care and support for individuals with TB, further strengthening the nation’s efforts to meet its TB elimination goals.
Programme Infrastructure
461
TB Units
458
Rapid Molecular Diagnostic (NAAT) Sites
5
C&DST Laboratories
4%
Share of India’s TB Burden
District TB Centres are led by qualified TB and Chest Disease specialists as District TB Officers, who oversee the timely delivery of drugs and diagnostics.
Performance in TB Elimination
TB Notification
Tamil Nadu shares approximately 4% of India’s total TB burden. Tamil Nadu notified 93,608 TB cases in 2024 and 94,927 TB cases in the year 2025.Treatment Success Rate
Tamil Nadu committed to provide Anti-TB drugs at free of cost to all notified TB patients (public and private) during their course of treatment. Success rate improved marginally from 90.6% in 2024 to 91.2% in 2025, maintaining high-quality treatment adherence and outcomes.Mortality Rate
Deaths among notified TB patients decreased significantly from 5.6% in 2024 to 4.2% in 2025, reflecting earlier diagnosis, timely treatment initiation, and improved clinical care.Nikshay Poshan Yojana
In order to improve Nutritional status of TB patient financial incentive of Rs.1000/- per month is given to all notified TB patients throughout their treatment period.Newer Initiatives
Kasa Noi Erapilla Thittam
In order to reduce the TB Mortality, a state specific Intervention of Differentiated TB Care Model – ‘Tamil Nadu Kasanoi Erapilla Thittam’ involves screening for severe illness at the time of diagnosis, followed by comprehensive assessment and provision of appropriate inpatient care.Shorter Oral Regimen for MDR-TB
The state has adopted a newer shorter oral regimen BPaL-M for eligible MDR-TB (Multi drug resistant Tuberculosis) patients lasting around 6-9 months.Active Case Finding – Campaign Mode
Community campaign to identify early TB cases, reduce mortality, and prevent new cases through focused interventions in districts with the highest TB burden in a stratified approach. There are 48 Mobile Diagnostic Unit Vans to reach the unreached population/location.TB Preventive Therapy (TPT)
All household contacts of pulmonary TB patients are offered TB preventive treatment after ruling out TB diasease. TB prevention Therapy is a a weekly regimen of 3HP offered for 12 weeks.Awards & Recognition
State Achievements
- Tamil Nadu received the Appreciation Award for the highest Presumptive TB Examination rate during the 100 Days Campaign from the Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in March 2025.
- In the year 2025, the State declared 1,711 Panchayats as “TB Free Panchayat”.
Subnational Certification
- Subnational Certification recognizes the reduction in TB incidence from the 2015 baseline as per the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework.
- For the year 2020, Tiruvannamalai District was awarded the Bronze Medal.
- For the year 2021–22, Kanniyakumari, Karur, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Villupuram, and Sivagangai districts were awarded the Silver Medal.
- For the year 2022–23, Tiruchirapalli and Thiruvarur received the Gold Medal, while Karur, Kanniyakumari, Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, and Thoothukudi received the Silver Medal. Krishnagiri received the Bronze Medal.
- The Nilgiris became one of only two districts in India to achieve an 80% reduction in TB incidence from the 2015 baseline and was awarded TB-Free Status in 2022.
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