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- The WHO has endorsed TrueNat, an Indian indigenous molecular diagnostic tool for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis.
TrueNat
- The TrueNat TB test is a new molecular test that can diagnosis TB in one hour as well as testing for resistance to the drug Rifampicin.
- The data for TrueNat MTB-Rif shows similar accuracy to WHO-approved commercial line probe assays.
- Developed by the Goa-based Molbio Diagnostics.
- Technical assistance and resources by the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to help commercialise Truenat.
- It will be used as an initial test thus replacing sputum smear microscopy.
- World Health Organisation (WHO) has endorsed TrueNat which is an indigenous molecular diagnostic tool for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis.
- WHO’s approval is important for India because it has the most number of TB patients in the world.
- According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2019, India had 26.9 lakh TB patients in 2018.
- The test works by the rapid detection of TB bacteria using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Any resistance to rifampicin (RR) is detected by doing a second RTPCR (Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction)
- Genexpert versus TruNat? The Genexpert machine is designed for larger volumes and needs a reliable electricity supply. The TrueNat machine is more of a point of care machine, which is not fully automated. It is designed for situations where there may not be electricity and where the need is for one test to be done at a time.
Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tuberculosis is a pandemic globally, and a significant health threat in our country. The Government of India has set a target of Zero-Tuberculosis deaths by the year 2025. In order to commit to that, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination in 2017.
- Tuberculosis (TB) is generally defined as a dangerous bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most often affects the lungs and later might spread to different parts of the body.
- Tuberculosis is a contagious airborne disease, which can be acquired from close contact with an infected person.
- Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is one of the main causes of this dreadful infectious disease.
- Infants and aged people are at a greater risk of catching TB infections.
- India stands at the top when it comes to TB, with more than 2 million cases reported in 2018.
- The Indian Government encourages new tools that will aid TB Research and Development (R&D) and discard the ones that won’t benefit the system.
Global Tuberculosis Report 2019
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently released its 2019 edition of the Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report.
- The report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in the response at global, regional and country levels for India.
- WHO has been publishing global TB report every year since 1997.
Recommendations
- Integration of TB services with the primary health system will lead to early diagnosis and help cut the transmission cycle.
- Strengthening the care cascade(visualising problems with the implementation of ‘treatment as prevention’) could reduce cumulative TB incidence by 38% in the case of India.
- India has to adopt measures to prevent TB on a population level to eliminate the disease in the coming decades.
- India needs improvement in diagnosis and treatment for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB.
- The Government of India and the World Bank have signed a loan agreement of $400 million for the Program Towards Elimination of Tuberculosis (TB).
- The program builds on a partnership between the Government of India and the World Bank that has spanned more than 20 years. The World Bank supported programs have helped treat more than 20 million people since 1998 and averted 3.5 million deaths.
- The loan has a 19-year maturity including a 5-year grace period.
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