COVID-19 emphasizes the urgent need to restart global efforts to stop tuberculosis

It is estimated that 1.4 million fewer people received tuberculosis care in 2020 than in 2019, according to preliminary data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) from over 80 countries – a 21% reduction from 2019. Countries with the highest the number of relative gaps were Indonesia (42%), South Africa (41%), the Philippines (37%) and India (25%).

“The effects of COVID-19 far outweigh the deaths and illnesses caused by the virus itself. The disruption in the provision of basic services to people with TB is just one tragic example of how the pandemic disproportionately affects some of the world’s poorest people, who have already been at greater risk of TB, ”said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “These sobering data point to the need for countries to make universal health insurance a key priority as they respond to and recover from a pandemic, to ensure access to basic services for TB and all diseases.”

Building health systems so that everyone can get the services they need is crucial. Some countries have already taken steps to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on service delivery, by strengthening infection control; expanding the use of digital technologies to provide remote advice and support; and providing TB prevention and care at home.

But many people who have tuberculosis are unable to access the care they need. TKO fears that in 2020, perhaps more than half a million people died from TB, simply because they failed to get a diagnosis.

This is not a new problem: before COVID-19 occurred, the gap between the estimated number of TB patients each year and the annual number of people officially reported being diagnosed with TB was about 3 million. The pandemic has made the situation much worse.

One way to address this is to renew and improve TB screening to quickly identify people with TB or TB. The new guidelines issued by the WHO on World TB Day aim to help countries identify the specific needs of communities, populations most at risk of TB and the places most affected to ensure people have access to the most appropriate prevention and care services. This can be achieved by more systematic application of screening approaches using new tools.

These include the use of molecular rapid diagnostic tests, the use of computer-assisted detection to interpret chest radiography, and the use of a broader approach to testing for TB in people living with HIV. The recommendations are accompanied by an operational guide to facilitate implementation.

But this alone will not be enough. In 2020, in his report to the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General issued a set of 10 priority recommendations for states to follow. This includes activating high-level leadership and action in multiple sectors to urgently reduce tuberculosis mortality; increase funding; improving universal health coverage for TB prevention and care; addressing drug resistance, promoting human rights and intensifying TB research.

And critically, it is vital to reduce health inequalities.

“For centuries, people with TB have been among the most marginalized and vulnerable. COVID-19 has exacerbated differences in living conditions and access to services within and between countries, ”said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Global TB Program. “We must now make a renewed effort to work together to ensure that TB programs are strong enough to deliver during any future emergency – and to look for innovative ways to do so.”

Note to editors:

World Tuberculosis Day is celebrated on March 24 each year to raise awareness and understanding of one of the world’s best infectious killers and to catalyze action in addressing its devastating health, social and economic impacts on the world.