PATNA, Aug. 22 -- Bihar detected 87,623 tuberculosis cases during an intensive statewide screening drive, including 21,550 asymptomatic patients, using artificial intelligence to strengthen detection among high-risk and vulnerable populations, health officials said on Friday. The campaign, conducted from July 2 to August 14 under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, screened 23.6 million people, i.e., more than twice the government's target of 10 million. The AI-enabled screening approach identified high-risk areas and supported TB detection among people who may not have shown obvious symptoms, helping health teams go beyond conventional symptom-based screening. The campaign focused on vulnerable groups, including people living with TB patients, those with HIV, senior citizens above 60, pregnant and lactating women, prisoners, urban slum residents, undernourished people, diabetics, smokers and alcohol users, and those with a previous history of TB. "More than 87,623 TB cases were detected, including 21,550 people who showed no apparent symptoms," said Anupama Singh, additional executive director, State Health Society, Bihar, while speaking at a workshop on Thursday. Of the 87,623 patients detected during the campaign, 74,871 (or 85%) have been assessed for differentiated TB care. The patient-centred approach categorises patients based on disease severity, risk factors and underlying health conditions to determine appropriate treatment, referral or intensive care. Officials said AI also helped identify 11,055 high-risk villages for priority TB detection. More than 5.4 lakh screening camps have been organised across the state since March 24, 2026, when the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 kicked off. Bihar also expanded its diagnostic infrastructure, including 491 digital X-ray machines and 140 AI-powered ultraportable handheld units to support wider and faster TB detection. Health officials attributed the rise in TB notifications largely to expanded screening and improved case detection, including among asymptomatic people. TB notifications in Bihar increased from 99,754 in 2020 to 2,21,737 in 2025, rising from 1,31,042 in 2021 to 1,60,360 in 2022; 1,86,295 in 2023 and 2,04,763 in 2024....