Tackling the TB threat: Old disease back, drug-resistant & deadlier

Has claimed 75 lives in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad since 2012.

tuberculosis, tb, drug resistant tb, drug resistant tuberculosis, ndr tb, xdr tb, pune tb, pune tuberculosis, pune news, india news

Across the state, there are 7,723 MDR-TB and 540 XDR-TB patients, a good number of them from Mumbai.

At Akurdi, 22-year-old Rishi Patil (name changed) died of XDR-TB, or extensively drug resistant TB, in 2011. In January 2012, his younger brother, 19-year-old Sanjiv (name changed), too got infected. After two months, their mother Swati (name changed) also fell sick.

At Mukundnagar, 26-year-old Nita Parekh (name changed), wife of an autorickshaw driver and mother of a three-year-old boy and a seven year-old girl, has to be counselled to swallow 15 tablets daily after being detected with XDR-TB. Her husband Ravi (name changed) refuses to wear a protective mask. “We live in a one-room house and my children are very small. They will get scared if we wear masks all the time,” he says.

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At present, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, 179 persons have been diagnosed to be suffering from multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB and nine others from XDR-TB, according to the data with the respective civic bodies. Mortality from the disease also remains high in the two municipal corporations. Since 2012, 70 people have died here due to MDR-TB and five due to XDR-TB.

Across the state, there are 7,723 MDR-TB and 540 XDR-TB patients, a good number of them from Mumbai.

Nationally, despite a comprehensive national TB control programme, around two million people contract TB every year, of which three lakh die. In 2013, India accounted for 25 per cent of the nine million TB cases across the world. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, India is also home to one of the three million “missing” cases, which means TB patients who are either not diagnosed or are yet to be notified.

Dr Sanjeev Kamble, Joint Director of Health (TB) in Maharashtra, told The Indian Express that there were 1,35,465 TB patients in the state in 2014 and at least five per cent of them had since died.

In Pune Municipal Corporation area, 46 persons have died of MDR-TB died and three of XDR-TB since 2012. Another 101 are on treatment for MDR-TB while health authorities are tracing contact details of four patients detected with XDR-TB – a 40-year-old female sex worker, an 18-year-old Nepali girl, a 26-year-old housewife and a 53-year-old man from Hadapsar.

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Out of 3,683 TB cases in Pune in 2013, 1,752 were new patients while in 2014, of 3718 cases, 1,712 were new patients, according to Dr N D Thakur, assistant health officer (TB and malaria) in the PMC.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, there are 78 MDR-TB patients and five XDR-TB patients at present. A total of 24 persons have died here since 2012 due to MDR-TB and two others due to XDR-TB.

Dr B Hodgar, Pimpri-Chinchwad TB control officer, said that out of a total of 1,982 TB cases in 2013, as many as 681 were newly detected TB patients. In 2014, out of 1,896 cases, 634 were newly detected TB patients.

Survivors complain of the toll the heavy medication for the disease has taken on their lives. “I had to take seven pills on alternate days for three months, then another 14 pills with a daily injection for six months. I was hospitalised after failing this treatment for multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB and was soon shifted to another drug regimen of 14 pills daily for XDR-TB, which lasted for more than one-and-a-half year. I have lost three years of college life and now am looking for a job to support my family,” says Sanjiv from Akurdi.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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