It was launched in Jan, 2024 by Ministry of Health and Female Welfare in collaboration with ICMR. It is a pilot programme , which aims at reducing TB cases and mortality by 80 percent by end of 2025. ANMs and ASHA workers are responsible for identifying beneficiaries , that are registered on the TB- WIN platform. TB-WIN logs vaccination data and schedules follow up. Same BCG vaccine ( i.e 0.1 ml intradermal over left upper arm ) traditionally used in children, now administered to eligible adults.
Eligibility criteria:
h/o of TB in last 5yr
age > 60yr
BMI <18kg/m2
Close contact of TB patients
Diabetes or tobacco use
Immunocompromised individual are contraindicated .
It is not included inNational TB elimination programme, which focuses on diagnosis , treatment and chemoprophylaxis.
this is so informative and it’s kind of surprising to hear it’s not a part of national tb elimination program. I only know BCG vaccination for TB, but this is the 1st time I am hearing adult TB vaccination and about TB-WIN platform.
As a MD Community Medicine person, i’d like to point out that the TB Vaccination is indeed under the NTEP program. Its a rather public health intervention with prior headcount for eligibility criteria to see the effect of vaccine in preventing Tuberculosis in the long run as we are nearing the target year for elimination of Tuberculosis. Please have a look at the reference.
This pilot programme sounds like a bold step in TB prevention. Using the BCG vaccine for adults is a new approach, especially for high-risk groups. The TB-WIN platform seems helpful for tracking and follow-up. Involving ANMs and ASHA workers makes it more community-based. But since it’s not part of the main TB elimination programme, I wonder how well it will be accepted. If it shows good results, maybe it can be expanded nationwide.
The introduction of an adult TB vaccination initiative marks a significant step in public health. While childhood BCG vaccination has been standard, targeting adults could help curb latent infections and transmission. Successful implementation will depend on accessibility, awareness, and long-term effectiveness studies.
Programmatic components can include such policy level public health inteventions targeting certain eligible population. Stating that this vaccination trial/ study doesn’t come under NTEP is and would be confusing for the readers.
There is no current policy of routine adult Bcg vaccination for all Indian adult population under NTEP. This is still in study / trial phase , given only to eligible adults. Its not a universal policy .