tuberculosis was again leading infectious cause of death in the world according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). This makes it higher than the death rate from Covid-19 and almost double the death rate from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
“It was responsible for an estimated 1.25 million deaths in 2023, including 161,000 people with HIV,” it said. Director of the WHO Global Tuberculosis Program Teresa Kasaevaduring a press conference. However, he stressed that the figure represented a decline compared to 2022, confirming the decline recorded in 2022 after two consecutive years of growth that coincided with the “worst years of the pandemic.”
The report also shows a record high in new cases of tuberculosis since it began being reported worldwide in 1995. about 8.2 million new diagnoses in 2023700,000 more than reported in the previous year. In fact, the number of people with TB rose to 10.8 million, a “small increase” from 2022, of which 55% were men, compared with 33% of women and 12% of children.
“The fact that tuberculosis continues to kill and infect so many people is outrageous when we have the tools to prevent, detect and treat it.”
“The fact that tuberculosis still kills and infects so many people It’s outrageous when we have the tools to prevent it.detect and treat. “WHO calls on all countries to fulfill the specific commitments they have made to scale up the use of these treatments and end tuberculosis,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Abhanom Ghebreyesus. The regions hardest hit by new cases are Southeast Asia, where 45% of cases have been reported. cases and Africa with 24%, while Eastern Mediterranean countries account for 9%, followed by America with 3.2% and Europe with 2.1%.
However, There are eight countries that account for two-thirds of all cases in the world.India leads the way with 26%, followed by Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Most cases are associated with five factors, such as malnutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders or smoking, especially in men and patients with diabetes.
The data is part of countries’ efforts to rebuild their TB services after the pandemic, although they also have implications for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which “continues to be a public health crisis” affecting more than 400,000 casesof which less than half were diagnosed and treated during 2023.
There are eight countries that account for two-thirds of all cases in the world.
Kasayeva highlighted the lack of funding for tuberculosis prevention and treatment programs worldwide, which fell in 2023 and “remains significantly below target”, with only $5.7 billion (€5.275 million) of this amount available. $22 billion (approx. 20.360 million euros).
In this sense, he warned that low- and middle-income countries bear 98 percent of the burden of tuberculosis and that they face “significant gap” in fundingas 80 percent of that amount comes from national sources, although he stressed that the United States remains the largest bilateral donor to tuberculosis control, with “efforts and funding increasing” annually. The program director also lamented that research into the disease “remains seriously underfunded” at only one-fifth of what is needed.
“By 2028, we should have at least one new effective vaccine against tuberculosis”
Finally, he stated that it was “very encouraging moment” Regarding the prospects for the development of new vaccines against tuberculosis, up to 15 of them are currently in development, six of which are in the third phase of clinical trials.
“By 2028, we should have at least one new effective vaccine against tuberculosis.. And I’m very optimistic that we can achieve that goal, hopefully not with just one vaccine, but maybe with more vaccines. Clinical trials are underway in countries with the highest TB burden and we are closely monitoring the preliminary results, which are encouraging,” he added. That’s why he called on countries to be prepared to “rapidly roll out” these vaccines so they become available along with other “necessary tools.”