Women and tuberculosis: a story of deprivation, discrimination and debt, PgII

Key Highlights:

• In 2024, India accounted for over 25% of global tuberculosis (TB) cases, with approximately 2.7 million new infections and over 3 lakh deaths.
• Women in India face significant stigma and discrimination after being diagnosed with TB, impacting their social lives, marriage prospects, and access to healthcare.
• Misdiagnosis and late diagnosis are common among women due to hiding symptoms and atypical presentations of TB.
• The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan launched on December 7, 2024, utilizes AI-powered chest X-rays to screen for TB in high-risk groups.

Detailed Insights:

• Women with TB often experience delayed diagnosis, disrupted treatment, and a lack of mental health support, compounded by societal expectations and limited autonomy.
• Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB), particularly genital TB, presents diagnostic challenges due to non-specific symptoms and is often overlooked in TB prevention programs.
• Undernutrition, a leading comorbidity among TB patients in India, disproportionately affects women due to gender disparities in food security and higher nutritional needs.
• Post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD) is a common complication, with nearly 50% of TB survivors experiencing long-term lung issues like breathlessness and chronic cough.
• The government formulated a gender-responsive framework in 2019 for TB prevention and diagnosis, but its recommendations require better implementation by stakeholders.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Tuberculosis (TB): An infectious disease caused by bacteria that typically affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body.
• Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB): Tuberculosis that occurs outside of the lungs, affecting organs such as the lymph nodes, bones, or reproductive system.
• Stigma: A negative social perception or mark associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person, leading to discrimination and isolation.

Tuberculosis (TB)