Tuberculosis returns to top infectious disease death toll – PAHO/WHO

New world report shows infections continue to rise in the Americas, while improvements in diagnosis and treatment are helping to reduce deaths

1 November 2024 – The World Health Organization (WHO) releases a new report on tuberculosis (TB), revealing approximately 8.2 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide in 2023 . This is the highest number since WHO began global tuberculosis surveillance in 1995. This marks a significant increase from the 7.5 million cases reported in 2022, and in 2023, tuberculosis once again surpassed the coronavirus as the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases.

WHO's Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 highlights progress in the global fight against tuberculosis, including persistent challenges such as critical funding gaps.

In the Americas, an estimated 342,000 people will be diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2023, an increase of 6.6% from the previous year, but deaths from tuberculosis will begin to decline by 5.4% from 2022 to 2023.

This decrease was due to an increase in the number of people diagnosed and treated from 76% in 2022 to 78% in 2023.

According to the report, the disease disproportionately affects people in 30 high-burden countries, including India (26%), Indonesia (10%), China (6.8%), the Philippines (6.8%) and Pakistan ( 6.3%), they account for 56 countries. Percentage of global tuberculosis burden. In the Americas, eight countries account for 80% of the region's tuberculosis cases, but other countries, particularly the Caribbean, have seen incidence decline to low levels, with some countries far from eradicating the disease. It's getting close to the standard.

According to the report, 55% of people who developed TB were men, 33% were women and 12% were children and young people.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It is outrageous that despite the tools we have to prevent, detect and treat tuberculosis, so many people are still dying and getting sick.” Ta. “WHO calls on all countries to scale up the use of these tools and deliver on the concrete commitments they have made to eliminate tuberculosis.”

At the global level, in 2023, the gap between estimated and reported new TB cases has narrowed to approximately 2.7 million, down from the level of approximately 4 million during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This is the result of a huge national, regional and global effort. To recover from coronavirus-related disruptions to TB services. Coverage of tuberculosis prevention treatment is maintained for people living with HIV and continues to improve for household contacts of people diagnosed with tuberculosis.

However, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remains a public health crisis. The treatment success rate for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) currently stands at 68%. However, of the estimated 400,000 people who developed MDR/RR-TB, only 44% were diagnosed and treated in 2023.

To combat the tuberculosis epidemic, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on countries to urgently adopt new technologies and strategies to help countries move towards eliminating tuberculosis. These include the implementation of rapid molecular tests to detect the disease at the primary care level. Utilization of these tests increased from 40% to 48% from 2022 to 2023, which is still short of the 100% goal.

PAHO also urges countries in the Americas to use AI-assisted radiography to proactively find cases within the most vulnerable communities and to provide shorter oral regimens for treatment and prevention. We recommend that you use it.

Lack of funds and challenges

Global funding for tuberculosis prevention and treatment will decline further in 2023, remaining well below target. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which bear 98% of the TB burden, faced severe funding constraints. Of the annual funding target of USD 22 billion, only USD 5.7 billion was available in 2023, representing just 26% of the global target.

Total international donor funding in LMICs has hovered around USD 1.1 billion to USD 1.2 billion annually for several years. The US government remains the largest bilateral donor to tuberculosis. Contributions by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) to international funding for tuberculosis control, particularly in small and medium-sized countries, are important but remain insufficient to cover essential tuberculosis service needs. The report highlights that sustained financial investment is essential for the success of tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment efforts.

Globally, tuberculosis research remains severely underfunded, with only one-fifth of the annual target of $5 billion to be achieved in 2022. This hinders the development of new tuberculosis diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. WHO continues to lead efforts to advance the tuberculosis vaccine agenda, including by supporting the Tuberculosis Vaccine Acceleration Council launched by the WHO Director-General.