Ms. Upasana is on the frontline of India’s quest to defeat tuberculosis. Upasana, a community health volunteer, works at the outpatient department of a hospital in Sonipat, north of Delhi. She wades through the lines of people crowding the waiting room - mostly women in colorful saris - identifying those with symptoms of tuberculosis. Once she finds a suspected case, she accompanies them to the TB ward to speed up diagnosis and put them quickly on treatment.

TB is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing, so putting people on treatment early reduces the risk of transmission. “People come to the hospital with many illnesses. I explain TB symptoms and tell people to bring their relatives if they have symptoms,” said Upasana.

India has the world’s highest burden of TB, but it’s committed to ending the epidemic by 2025. Efforts to find and treat more people with TB are showing remarkable progress.