Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

TB is spread through the air by a person suffering from TB. A single patient can infect 10 or more people in a year.

Common symptoms of tuberculosis are: Cough for three weeks or more, sometimes with blood-streaked sputum Fever, especially at night Weight loss Loss of appetite

TB is one of the leading causes of mortality in India. It kills more than 300,000 people in India every year.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV, the virus that causes AIDS) is the strongest risk factor for tuberculosis among adults. Tuberculosis is one of the earliest opportunistic diseases to develop amongst persons infected with HIV. HIV debilitates the immune system increasing the vulnerability to TB and increasing the risk of progression from TB infection to TB disease. An HIV positive person is six times (50-60% life time risk) more likely of developing TB disease once infected with TB bacilli,

Tuberculosis can be cured, even among HIV-infected persons. TB treatment with DOTS reduces the morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV.

Tuberculosis treatment requires at least 6 months of treatment.

Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is caused by strains of the tuberculosis bacteria resistant to the two most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs available - isoniazid and rifampicin. MDR TB can only be diagnosed in a specialized laboratory.

Multi-drug-resistant Tuberculosis requires at least 18-24 months of treatment with medicines which are 100 times more expensive and often highly toxic.