A recent study has unveiled that the combination of adequate nutrition support and effective therapy can lead to a significant reduction in new tuberculosis cases in India.
According to findings published in The Lancet Global Health journal, providing a monthly food basket containing sufficient protein alongside effective therapy has resulted in nearly a 50% decrease in new tuberculosis cases among family members of TB patients in India.
An international team of researchers conducted the study, enrolling household contacts of 2,800 patients with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis across 28 TB units of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in four districts of Jharkhand.
The study spanned from August 2019 to January 2021, with the intervention group receiving monthly food rations and micronutrients providing 750 kcal and 23 grams of protein per day. The study found a relative reduction in tuberculosis incidence of 39% (all forms) to 48% (microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB) in the intervention group.
Notably, around 1.72 lakh pregnant mothers and 6.94 lakh children received “missed” doses through 2.98 lakh camps since the initiation of the Indradhanush program in 2014, addressing a high prevalence of severe undernutrition.
The research team also observed that weight gain, particularly in the initial two months, was associated with a substantial decrease in tuberculosis mortality. They emphasized that nutritional support needs to be a fundamental component of patient-centered care to enhance treatment outcomes in similar settings.
The study’s significance lies in its potential to impact India’s tuberculosis burden, with the country reporting approximately 3 million cases of tuberculosis and nearly 4.94 lakh TB-related deaths among HIV-negative individuals in 2021. The authors highlighted the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination in India, aiming for an 80% reduction in incidence and a 90% reduction in tuberculosis mortality by 2025.
Despite modest progress in reducing tuberculosis mortality since 2015, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to these efforts, reversing some of the gains made in recent years.