Mumbai recorded 54,390 TB patients in 2025 as polluted air strains lungs, says doctor

Mumbai's air carries vehicle fumes, dust from construction work and fine pollutant particles. Together they pose a major challenge to lung health. In such conditions, the problems of people with asthma, COPD, other long-term lung diseases and respiratory ailments can worsen. The challenge is being highlighted on World Lung Health Day, on Wednesday, October 28.

According to Dr Rajendra Nanaware, former medical superintendent of the Senior Chest Diseases and Group TB Hospital in Sewri, vehicle emissions, construction dust, industrial pollution, smoking and indoor smoke are key factors affecting lung health. He said prolonged exposure to polluted air can worsen cough, wheezing and breathlessness. Dr Nanaware said people with asthma and COPD in particular need to take extra care.

TB also remains a challenge in Mumbai. According to information provided by Dr Nanaware, 54,390 TB patients were recorded in the city in 2025. Of these, 48,835 were residents of Mumbai. About 40 per cent of the recorded patients had extrapulmonary TB, six per cent had childhood TB and eight per cent had drug-resistant TB. Dr Nanaware said crowded homes, poor ventilation and malnutrition make preventive measures all the more important.

According to information from the state's National TB Elimination Programme, a 100-day campaign ran from December 7, 2024 to March 24, 2025. In Maharashtra, 61 lakh people were screened. The screening identified 42,175 TB patients, who were registered on the Nikshay portal. During this period, 44,506 Nikshay camps were held.

According to Dr Nanaware, lung damage can persist in some patients even after they are cured of TB. Lung function tests and rehabilitation therefore become important as needed. He advises getting a medical check-up if symptoms such as a cough lasting more than two weeks, blood in the sputum, weight loss or persistent breathlessness appear.

Dr Nanaware also said that avoiding smoking and reducing exposure to pollution is essential, but controlling construction dust and providing clean air are also a public health responsibility. The question of lung health is thus no longer limited to personal habits, and has become linked to the public issue of clean air.