Tuberculosis deaths rise for first time in years due to fight against COVID-19, WHO says

The number of people killed by tuberculosis (TB) has increased for the first time in more than a decade as resources have been diverted to fight the COVID-9 pandemic.

In its annual report on tuberculosis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 1.5 million people worldwide died from the bacterial disease last year, an increase from the 1.4 million deaths in 2019.

The WHO also said far fewer people were recently diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2020, 5.8 million compared to 7.1 million in 2019.

It estimates that around 4 million people have TB but have not yet been diagnosed, an increase from 2.9 million people the year before.

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that often infect the lungs and are highly transmissible when sick people cough or sneeze.

About a quarter of the world’s population has latent TB infection, which means they carry the bacteria, but have not gotten sick and cannot pass it on.

Those who harbor the bacteria have a 5-10% chance of eventually developing tuberculosis.

The disease is treatable if caught early, but drug-resistant versions have complicated treatment efforts, and scientists are increasingly concerned that the bacteria will soon become faster than available drugs.

Tuberculosis kills more people each year than AIDS and malaria. It was found in Egyptian mummies and is said to have killed more people in history than any other infectious disease.

The impact of the pandemic

The WHO report said the most obvious impact of the pandemic on the number of tuberculosis was a global drop in the number of people newly diagnosed and reported in 2020, compared to the previous year.

After sharp increases in the number of people diagnosed between 2017 and 2019, there was an 18% drop between 2019 and 2020, from 7.1 million to 5.8 million.

The countries with the largest declines in 2020 were India (41%), Indonesia (14%), the Philippines (12%) and China (8%).

“The substantial reduction in the detection and notification of tuberculosis cases between 2019 and 2020 likely reflects both disruptions in the supply and demand side of tuberculosis diagnostic and treatment services,” the report said. report.

“Examples of such disruptions include a reduced ability of the health system to continue providing services, a reduced willingness and ability to seek care in the context of blockages and associated movement restrictions, concerns about the risks of visiting health facilities during a pandemic and stigma. associated with similarities in symptoms related to tuberculosis and COVID-19. “

Poor countries struggle to access tests

The countries with the highest number of tuberculosis cases are India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Stijn Deborggraev, diagnostic advisor for the Accès Médecins Sans Frontières campaign, said access to diagnosis and treatment was limited in many countries with high numbers of TB patients.

He said they were dependent on testing by the US company Cepheid which he said was overcharging poorer countries for their tests.

Mr Deborggraev said Cepheid has received more than $ 250 million ($ 337 million) in public investment to develop its TB testing technology and has failed to make it accessible to those who have it. Not needed anymore.

Cepheid said the company had made its test cartridges available to poorer countries “at low margins” and was “an active participant in the global fight against tuberculosis.”

WHO noted that global investments in TB control efforts had fallen and said global efforts to meet targets to reduce the number of people affected by the disease “seemed increasingly out of reach.” .

ABC / PA