TB control in India--efforts, challenges and priorities.

TB control is a long battle. Since after the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Robert Koch in 1882, endeavours have been made at different levels in the form of control measures like establishment of open-air sanatorium in Tilonia (Ajmer) in 1906, Tuberculosis Dispensary in Mumbai (1917), Tuberculosis Association of India (1939), Mass BCG campaign (1951), Establishment of Chemotherapy centre (TRC Chennai), National Sample Survey (1955-58), National Tuberculosis Institute Bangalore (1961), Developments of National Tuberculosis Programme (1962), Review of NTP by GOI, SIDA & WHO (1992), pilot testing of RNTCP (1993), implementation/expansion of RNTCP across the country (1997-2006). Shopping for health, marketing for TB diagnosis and treatment, MDR-TB, XDR-TB, TB-HIV combination and partnership related challenges are crucial and needs to be addressed .Universal access to DOTS for cutting the chain of transmission of bacilli, reducing the morbidity and mortality and reversing the TB epidemic in line with Millennium Development Goals, surveillance of notification, drug resistance, TB/HIV coinfection, operation researches, development of vaccines, immune therapeutic agents against tuberculosis and expansion of package of care to MDR-TB and XDR-TB would be the priorities for eradicating TB as a public health problem.