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The number of people infected with tuberculosis (TB) has risen globally for the first time in almost 20 years, a new report has shown.
The 2022 Global TB report indicates that an estimated 10.6 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2021, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year.
The number of new TB cases had dropped by an average of two per cent in most years since 2000.
TB-related deaths also rose for the second consecutive year to 1.6 million in 2021, according to the report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO). About 1.3 million TB-related deaths were recorded in 2020.
The burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) also increased by three per cent between 2020 and 2021, with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2021.
WHO said this is the first time in many years an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with TB and drug-resistant TB.
According to the global health body, TB services are among many others disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but its impact on the TB response has been particularly severe.
It said the ongoing conflicts across Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East have further exacerbated the situation for vulnerable populations.
“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that with solidarity, determination, innovation, and the equitable use of tools, we can overcome severe health threats,” the WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said.
Mr Ghebreyesus said it is time to put a stop to this long-time killer.
“Working together, we can end TB,” he said in a statement.
Tuberculosis control
TB, which mostly attacks the lungs, spreads through airborne droplets. It can remain latent for many years before it causes health problems and can be difficult to diagnose.
Despite being a vaccine-preventable disease, many people are reported to be infected with TB annually…
