PAHO: Tuberculosis resurges as top infectious disease killer - Nov. 1, 2024

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.paho.org/en/news/1-11-20...disease-killer

Tuberculosis resurges as top infectious disease killer
1 Nov 2024

New global report shows that while cases continue to rise in the Americas, improvements in diagnosis and treatment are helping to reduce deaths

1 November 2024 – The World Health Organization (WHO) published a new report on tuberculosis (TB) revealing that globally, approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023 - the highest number recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995. This represents a notable increase from 7.5 million reported in 2022 placing TB again as the leading infectious disease killer in 2023, surpassing COVID-19.

The WHO 2024 Global Tuberculosis Report highlights mixed progress in the global fight against TB, including persistent challenges such as significant underfunding.

In the Americas, while an estimated 342,000 people were diagnosed with TB in 2023, a 6.6% increase from the previous year, the number of people that died as a result of the disease has begun to decline, by 5.4% from 2022-2023

This reduction is due to an increase in the number of people diagnosed and treated – from 76% in 2022 to 78% in 2023.

The report shows that the disease disproportionately affects people in 30 high-burden countries, India (26%), Indonesia (10%), China (6.8%), the Philippines (6.8%) and Pakistan (6.3%) together accounted for 56% of global TB burden. In the Americas, eight countries account for 80% of TB cases in the Region while others, particularly in the Caribbean region, have reduced incidence to low levels and some are close to the threshold for disease elimination.

According to the report, 55% of people who developed TB were men, 33% were women and 12% were children and young adolescents....

[Pathfinder]

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 1 November 2024

1 November 2024

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,

On Tuesday this week, WHO published this year’s Global Tuberculosis Report, showing that 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023 – the highest number recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995.

The number of TB-related deaths declined for a second consecutive year, as access to services for prevention, diagnosis and treatment continues to improve after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time, the report provides country estimates on the financial impact of TB, showing that half of the households it affects face catastrophic health costs because of it, meaning they spend more than 20% of annual household income on diagnosis and treatment.

TB is the definitive disease of deprivation, disproportionately affecting the poorest people in 30 high-burden countries. Just eight countries account for two-thirds of all TB cases and deaths: India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Multidrug-resistant TB also remains a serious challenge. Treatment success rates for people with MDR-TB have increased to 68%, but less than half of patients estimated to have MDR-TB have been diagnosed and treated.

About one quarter of the world’s population is estimated to have been infected with TB bacteria, but most people do not develop TB disease.

In up to 10% of people the infection is activated and they become sick, often because of undernutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders, diabetes and smoking, especially among men.

This could be one reason why 55% of people with TB are men, while 33% are women, and 12% are children and young adolescents.

At last year’s UN General Assembly, world leaders made concrete commitments to improve access to prevention, diagnosis and care, to protect households from its financial impacts; to develop a new TB vaccine; and to increase funding for TB implementation and research.

WHO urges all countries and partners to make good on those commitments. The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent, detect, treat, and end TB.

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https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---1-november-2024