Uttar Pradesh Achieves Record High with 6.8 Lakh TB Cases Diagnosed in 2024
Gorakhpur, March 8: The adoption of AI-enabled hand-held X-ray machines has emerged as a game changer for the early detection of tuberculosis (TB), enabling Uttar Pradesh to diagnose and report a record 6.8 lakh patients in 2024—the state's highest ever annual figure.
Out of these 6.8 lakh diagnosed cases, around 4.29 lakh were reported by the public healthcare sector, while approximately 2.5 lakh cases were identified through private facilities.
Enhanced Screening through AI Technology
The innovative AI-powered X-ray devices are crucial components in the ongoing nationwide 100-Day Intensified Campaign to Eliminate TB, aiming to significantly accelerate India's efforts toward eradicating tuberculosis. According to Dr. Shailendra Bhatnagar, State Tuberculosis Officer, these portable X-ray machines can detect TB at very early stages, even when conventional symptoms have not yet manifested.
“These X-ray machines are turning out to be game changers in early detection of tuberculosis," stated Dr. Bhatnagar.
Safe, Efficient, and Accessible Screening
A distinguishing feature of these hand-held machines is their minimal radiation emission—just 2-3 milliamperes (mA)—as compared to traditional hospital-grade machines, which emit approximately 300 mA. Due to this reduced radiation exposure, these portable machines have proven ideal for mass screening, especially in remote and vulnerable areas.
"With these machines, about 100 patients can be screened daily," Dr. Bhatnagar explained. "We typically position the Ni-Kshay vans, equipped with these devices, near Ayushman Arogya Mandirs or primary schools in remote villages, ensuring easier accessibility for residents."
Targeting High-Risk and Vulnerable Populations
Dr. Rajat Chaurasia, Chief Medical Officer of Siddharth Nagar, highlighted that both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals from vulnerable populations undergo screenings using these portable X-ray machines. High-risk groups include diabetics, smokers, alcoholics, malnourished individuals, people living with HIV, those with a history of TB or COVID-19, elderly individuals, and household contacts of TB patients.
Symptomatic patients identified through these screenings are further tested using molecular techniques, including sputum examination. For asymptomatic patients, any abnormality detected in the chest X-ray is followed by confirmatory nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT).
Campaign Impact and Contact Tracing
Since launching the intensified campaign in December 2023, around 3.5 crore people have undergone TB screening in Uttar Pradesh, identifying approximately 1.7 lakh new patients.
Dr. Bhatnagar emphasized the highly infectious nature of tuberculosis, stating, “If untreated, a single TB patient can infect up to 15 individuals within a year. This number can exponentially increase, leading to further community spread."
He further stressed the necessity for immediate testing and treatment upon symptom onset, adding, "We also proactively screen entire households and close contacts of confirmed patients to limit the spread."
Contact tracing—widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic—has long been an integral part of TB control efforts. Close household contacts are 10 to 60 times more likely to contract the disease and are routinely placed on preventive treatment after thorough screening by a qualified physician, ensuring active TB is ruled out first.
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