World Tuberculosis Day: TB is not exclusively a lung disease: Pulmonologist debunks myths on World Tuberculosis Day
Every year on World Tuberculosis Day, there’s a reminder we can’t ignore, tuberculosis is still very much around. It may not dominate headlines the way newer diseases do, but it continues to affect millions quietly, especially in countries like India.In 2022 at a global level nearly 10.6 million people were affected with TB, and close to 1.3 million people died due to it (WHO data). That’s not small. And India alone accounts for nearly a quarter of the world’s TB cases, which makes this a local as much as a global issue.
But here’s the tricky part. TB is both preventable and curable. And yet, delays in diagnosis, incomplete treatment, and social stigma keep the cycle going. Many people ignore symptoms like a persistent cough or unexplained weight loss.So this day isn’t just about awareness posters. It’s about recognising that TB hasn’t gone away. Early testing, sticking to treatment, and talking openly about it can make a real difference. Because the fight against TB isn’t just medical, it’s social too.“India reported approximately 25 to 26 lakh TB patients in 2023-24 which is roughly a quarter of the global burden. For a disease this prevalent, the volume of misinformation surrounding it is remarkable, and that misinformation consistently delays diagnosis and deepens stigma,” Dr. Arup Halder, Consultant Pulmonologist, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI told TOI Health.
Common myths that delay TB diagnosis and treatment
“The most persistent myth is also the most damaging: that TB spreads through shared food, utensils, clothes, or casual contact like handshakes. It does not. TB is airborne. It transmits when a person with active pulmonary TB coughs, speaks, sneezes, or laughs in a closed, poorly ventilated space. A shared meal carries no risk. Neither does a handshake, a hug, or a shared toilet,” he explains.“Equally misunderstood is who can actually infect others. People with latent TB where the bacteria lie dormant, cause no symptoms, and show nothing on a chest X-ray cannot transmit the disease. Only those with active, untreated pulmonary TB are infectious. This distinction matters enormously, because latent TB is far more common than active disease, and conflating the two drives unnecessary fear and social exclusion,” he adds.It is also misunderstood that TB only affects the lungs. “TB is also not exclusively a lung disease. It can affect the spine, kidneys, lymph nodes, and brain. Pulmonary TB is the most common presentation, but extrapulmonary cases are seen regularly in clinical practice and are frequently missed because patients and even some clinicians are not looking for them,” Dr. Arup Halder explains.
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“Also the assumption that TB is a disease of poverty is partially true but dangerously incomplete. Overcrowding, malnutrition, and poor ventilation do accelerate transmission which is why crowded homes and public transport remain key settings for spread in India. But diabetes, smoking, and compromised immunity carry significant independent risk. TB does not observe income brackets,” he says.“Finally, prior treatment offers no guarantee. Reinfection and relapse both occur, and multidrug-resistant TB which does not respond to first-line therapy remains one of the most serious unresolved challenges in India’s TB elimination programme,” he adds.Medical experts consulted This article includes expert inputs shared with TOI Health by: Dr. Arup Halder, Consultant Pulmonologist, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRIInputs were used to debunk common myths around tuberculosis on World Tuberculosis Day.
