Impact of Population Density and Elevation on Tuberculosis Spread and Transmission in Maharashtra, India

The causative agent of Tuberculosis (TB) in humans is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When lung TB patients cough, sneeze, or spit, TB spreads through the air. India accounts for over 2.4 million recorded cases of TB, about 26% of the world’s TB cases. This research ascertained the bearing of both the population density and the average elevation above mean sea level (MSL) on the number of cases of TB recorded by the districts in Maharashtra, India. Using multiple regression analysis, we demonstrated that about 75% of the variance in the reported cases of TB per thousand people can be attributed to the average elevation above MSL and the population density. We found a strong positive correlation between the number of TB cases per thousand people and the population density and a strong negative correlation between the number of TB cases per thousand people and the average elevation above MSL.