Tuberculosis(TB) is making a resurgence as the world's deadliest infectious disease, affecting an estimated 8.2 million people in 2023; the highest surge in new cases since 1995, a recent WHO report reveals.

Although the total TB-related deaths dropped to 1.25 million last year from the previous year's 1.32 million, the total number of TB cases rose slightly to an estimated 10.8 million in 2023, according to the latest WHO report.

Drug-resistant TB is estimated to have affected around 400,000 people last year and remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. The more shocking statistic is that only 40% of these cases took treatment. Drug resistance can develop when TB medications are misused, either through incorrect prescriptions, poor-quality drugs, or patients stopping treatment prematurely.

Global TB prevention and treatment efforts have saved approximately 79 million lives since 2000. However, the WHO notes there is still a significant disparity among geographical regions heavily impacted by this serious respiratory illness.

The highest number of new TB cases were reported in the Southeast Asia Region (45%), followed by the African Region (24%) and the Western Pacific Region (17%). Also, around 56% of the global TB burden is concentrated in specific regions, with India leading at 26%, followed by Indonesia at 10%, and China, the Philippines (6.8% each), and Pakistan (6.7%).

A persistent challenge hindering progress in the fight against TB is the underfunding faced by many countries. "Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which bear 98% of the TB burden, faced significant funding shortages. Only US$ 5.7 billion of the US$ 22 billion annual funding target was available in 2023, equivalent to only 26% of the global target," WHO stated in a news release.

Tuberculosis disproportionately affects men compared to women and children. According to WHO estimates, 55% of cases were men, 33% were women, and 12% were children and young adolescents.

"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," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

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