The World Health Organization warns the fight against tuberculosis is at a critical juncture. It says the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed gains made since 2000 in saving lives from the infectious disease. For the first time in over a decade, the WHO says TB deaths increased in 2020. It says around 1.5 million people died…
Ahead of World Tuberculosis Day, WHO has also called for increased funding to improve gaps in TB prevention and care exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New findings on the support and barriers to combat TB in high-burden countries
Nine out of ten cases of tuberculosis appear in 30 identified low and middle-income countries, each of which has a national tuberculosis programme. The managers of these programmes agree that it is important to screen for tuberculosis outside of health facilities. However, each screening programme must have its own well-considered, sustainable strategy and sufficient resources for it to be meaningful - which is not always the case today. This is one conclusion drawn by Olivia Biermann s forthcoming thesis.
At a global level, tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the deadliest infection diseases, affecting an estimated 10 million people every year, primarily people living in poverty in low and middle-income countries. Roughly 90 percent of cases occur in 30 identified countries, including India, Vietnam and South Africa. However, nearly a third of those infected - 2.9 million people - receive neither a diagno