Mizoram records 145 TB deaths in 2025, highest toll in six years
Aizawl district recorded the highest number of cases at 1,569, followed by Lunglei at 155 and Kolasib at 138
A file image of a TB screening programme at Bethel HWC, Champhai. (Photo:@TbMizoram/X)
Aizawl, Jan 12: A total of 145 people have died of tuberculosis (TB) in Mizoram in 2025, the highest fatalities in six years.
A total of 2,275 people, including 911 females, were diagnosed with the disease during the year, a marginal decrease from 2024's record of 2,291 cases, as per the National TB Elimination Programme under the National Health Mission, Mizoram.
Of the 2,275 new cases, 1,900 were detected in government facilities, while the remaining 375 cases were found in private centres, it said.
TB fatalities have continuously increased in the state since 2020. While 31 people died in 2020, the number of fatalities increased to 46 in 2021, 87 in 2022, 119 in 2023 and 136 in 2024.
Of 2,275 new cases found in 2025, 146 people were diagnosed with multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and 267 were found suffering from both TB and HIV AIDS, according to data.
Among the new patients, 141 were below 14. Altogether 84 per cent of the patients were successfully treated.
Aizawl district recorded the highest number of cases at 1,569, followed by Lunglei at 155 and Kolasib at 138. Serchhip district reported the least at 52 cases.
More than 100 people have registered to adopt TB patients or donate for them through the online platform, “Nikshay”, under the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, officials said.
It is a programme to augment community involvement in meeting India's commitment to end TB and provide additional patient support to improve treatment outcomes for patients and leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, they said.
Despite a steady decline in tuberculosis cases, India remains far from eliminating the disease, the Global TB Report 2025, released in November 12, had said.
The country recorded an estimated 27.1 lakh TB cases and over three lakh deaths in 2024, continuing to rank among the world’s highest contributors to the global TB burden.
In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set an ambitious goal to eliminate tuberculosis in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline.
While the report notes a consistent reduction in both the absolute number of cases and the incidence rate per 1,00,000 population, the pace of progress indicates that India is nowhere close to achieving TB elimination by the target year.
PTI