Global Health Asia-Pacific Issue 5 | 2022 Issue 5 | 2022 | Page 40

Medical News

Tuberculosis reared its ugly head again during the COVID-19 pandemic

Better global efforts are needed to reverse the negative trends in incidence and mortality

The number of tuberculosis ( TB ) deaths and cases increased while the new coronavirus was ravaging the world , reversing significant gains made in the past , according to a World Health Organization ( WHO ) report .

In 2021 , 1.6 million people died of TB , a level that was not seen since 2017 and up from 1.5 million in 2020 and from 1.4 million in 2019 . Similarly , in 2021 there was a 4.5 percent increase in the number of people who fell ill with TB compared to 2020 and a three percent surge in drug-resistant TB cases , with 450,000 new patients who didn ’ t respond to treatment .
“ The report provides important new evidence and makes a strong case on the need to join forces and urgently redouble efforts to get the TB response back-on-track to reach TB targets and save lives ,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva , Director of WHO ’ s Global TB Programme , in a press release .
Like many other healthcare services , TB care was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic , with the disruption to TB response particularly severe . This was further exacerbated by conflicts in Eastern Europe , Africa , and the Middle East , especially among vulnerable populations .
The reduction in TB diagnoses is believed to have driven up both community transmission and the number of untreated patients , which in turn led to more deaths . If it ’ s not treated , the TB death rate can be as high as 50 percent , while following the recommended treatment involving a four to six months course of anti-
TB drugs can cure about 85 percent of patients .
TB is one of the biggest killers globally and was the main cause of death from a single infectious pathogen until COVID-19 emerged at the end of 2019 .
The report also notes that global spending on essential TB services has dropped from US $ 6 billion in 2019 to US $ 5.4 billion in 2021 , only 41 percent of the global target of US $ 13 billion by 2002 . Increased funding is needed to reverse the negative impact of the pandemic on TB .
Access to TB diagnosis and treatment is affected by economic barriers , with about half of patients with TB having to bear catastrophic costs to get treated , amounting to 20 percent or more of their household income . As a result , “ progress towards universal health coverage ” is paramount to make a dent in the number of TB cases and burden .
More investment is needed in TB research and innovation , according to the report , with priorities including a vaccine to lower the risk of infection and new drugs to lower the risk associated with the disease in already infected people .
“ If the pandemic has taught us anything , it ’ s that with solidarity , determination , innovation and the equitable use of tools , we can overcome severe health threats . Let ’ s apply those lessons to tuberculosis . It is time to put a stop to this long-time killer . Working together , we can end TB ,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , WHO Director-General , in the press release .
The reduction in TB diagnoses is believed to have driven up both community transmission and the number of untreated patients , which in turn led to more deaths .
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