Photo : Reuters
In a significant public health update, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that tuberculosis (TB) has replaced COVID-19 as the leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths in 2023. This alarming shift highlights the ongoing challenges faced in the global fight against TB, which continues to be a pressing health crisis.
According to the WHO report published on October 29, 2024, approximately 8.2 million individuals were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis last year. This marks the highest number recorded since the WHO began monitoring TB globally in 1995, increasing from the 7.5 million cases reported in 2022. The rise in diagnoses indicates that more individuals are gaining access to essential treatments, yet it also reflects the persistent struggle against this long-standing disease.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, expressed his outrage over the continued toll of tuberculosis, stating, “The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it, and treat it.” His comments underscore the urgent need for enhanced efforts to combat TB, especially as the global health community aims for eradication.
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Despite the increase in diagnosed cases, there was a slight decline in TB-related deaths, with 1.25 million fatalities in 2023 compared to 1.32 million in 2022. However, the overall number of people falling ill from TB rose to an estimated 10.8 million in the same year, indicating that while some progress has been made, significant challenges remain.
The report emphasizes that global milestones and targets for reducing the burden of tuberculosis are currently off-track. The WHO has pointed out that substantial progress is required to meet the targets set for 2027, as low- and middle-income countries—which account for 98% of TB cases—continue to grapple with serious funding shortages.
In 2023, the gap between the estimated number of new TB cases and those reported narrowed to approximately 2.7 million. This is an improvement from the peak levels of around 4 million seen during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. However, the persistence of multidrug-resistant forms of tuberculosis remains a critical public health crisis, complicating efforts to control the disease.
The WHO report serves as a stark reminder of the need for increased funding, awareness, and resources to combat tuberculosis effectively. As global health authorities work to address the rising burden of TB, the urgency of collective action and sustained commitment becomes more apparent than ever.
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