WHO: Tuberculosis cases rise for the first time in years
GENEVA (AP) — The number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
The U.N. health agency said more than 10 million people worldwide were sickened by tuberculosis in 2021, a 4.5% rise from the year before. About 1.6 million people died. WHO said about 450,000 cases involved people infected with drug-resistant TB, 3% more than in 2020.
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Dr. Mel Spigelman, president of the non-profit TB Alliance, said more than a decade of progress was lost when COVID-19 emerged.
“Despite gains in areas like preventative therapy, we are still behind in just about every pledge and goal regarding TB,” he said.
WHO blamed COVID-19 for much of the rise in TB, saying the pandemic “continues to have a damaging impact on access to diagnosis and treatment.” It said progress made before 2019 has since “slowed, stalled or reversed.”
With fewer people being diagnosed with the infectious disease, more patients unknowingly spread it to others in outbreaks that may not have been spotted in countries with weak health systems.
WHO reported the number of people newly identified with TB fell from 7 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020. WHO also said COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns and physical distancing, also hampered TB treatment services and may have prompted some people to skip going to health facilities. Officials added the downturn in the global economy was a factor, saying about half of TB patients face “catastrophic total costs” due to treatment.
After COVID-19, TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
