Tamil Nadu honors villages for eliminating tuberculosis
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The Tamil Nadu Health Department recognized 319 villages in the Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, and Tirupattur districts of India for becoming Tuberculosis (TB) free.
Government officials, including Collectors P.S. Leela Alex and Vandhana Garg, honored village elders, volunteers, NCC cadets, and health workers for their contributions to the effort. This achievement supports the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) established by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with identification of TB-free villages accelerating after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health officials determined TB-free status through door-to-door inspections and drug susceptibility testing conducted by medical teams. They identified high-risk villages by analyzing case studies from the past five to ten years. Villages with an average of no more than one TB case per 1,000 residents qualified for the designation, with surveys taking place annually between June and September.
Tiruvannamalai district accounted for the largest number of TB-free villages with 157, while Vellore and Ranipet each had 57, and Tirupattur had 48. Health officials note that densely populated areas and migration from cities contribute to the spread of TB, particularly in tribal regions. Individuals with low immunity, including those with alcohol use disorder, diabetes, smoking habits, or a history of TB infection, as well as workers in stone quarries, are considered most vulnerable.
