Kinkini Gupta
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Tuberculosis, Not COVID-19, Is Now The Top Infectious Disease Killer: WHO
In a report published on Tuesday, 29th October, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially announced Tuberculosis (TB) as the top infectious disease. Tuberculosis has officially surpassed COVID-19 as the top infectious disease killer globally. As per their report, TB had caused a large number of deaths in 2023. The WHO report also highlights the challenges faced by countries in order to eradicate TB and its impacts. The resurgence of TB is not shocking considering more and more lung-related infections have been rising due to varied factors concerning lifestyle and environment.
The WHO report, 'Global Tuberculosis Report 2024' claimed that approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in the year 2023. This is apparently the highest number of new cases recorded since the start of global monitoring of the disease by WHO in 1995. In 2022, 7.5 million cases were reported and by 2023 it has surged to 8.2 million. The report also states that, "While the number of TB-related deaths decreased from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25 million in 2023, the total number of people falling ill with TB rose slightly to an estimated 10.8 million in 2023."
The burden of this disease has been disproportionately affecting the following countries as per WHO report:
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General expressed, "The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it. WHO urges all countries to make good on the concrete commitments they have made to expand the use of those tools, and to end TB."