India, March 22 -- With 17.7% of the world's total population, India is home to 27% of the tuberculosis (TB) patients in the world. Monumental efforts have been undertaken by the government since 1997 to eradicate this pandemic through large-scale TB elimination campaigns - however, satisfactory success continues to elude us.

Speaking on one of the major challenges,Dr M Udaya Kumar Maiya, Medical Director, Portea Medicalsaid, "About 40% of the population in India has latent TB, and have been infected by bacteria from active TB patients. On an average, about 10% of the untreated latent TB cases turn into the active form, and this is higher in people with a weaker immune system. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends treating only ...