Old Foe Dethrones Covid-19 as World’s Leading Killer

One of the world’s deadliest diseases is back on the rise. This week, the World Health Organization reported that tuberculosis has once again become the leading cause of death worldwide from infectious diseases, handing back the mantle to covid-19.

On Tuesday, the WHO released its latest Global Tuberculosis report, the annual assessment of the disease caused by the virus in humanity. According to the report, 8.2 million people will be diagnosed with young tuberculosis by 2023—a record high in the history of modern WHO TB tracking, which began in 1995. In total, about 10.8 million people contracted TB last year. and there were approximately 1.25 million TB-related deaths.

“The fact that tuberculosis still kills and sickens so many people is outrageous, when we have the tools to prevent it, diagnose it and treat it,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “WHO urges all countries to make good on the concrete commitments they have made to increase the use of those tools, and end TB.”

TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread between people through the air and usually affects the lungs, although the virus can attack other parts of the body. Severe cases of TB often lead to respiratory symptoms such as chest pains, chills, and coughing up blood. But the disease can often be hidden, not causing illness until years later when the immune system is weakened for another reason. People with HIV are at high risk of TB, as they are at high risk of developing a serious, life-threatening disease.

The number of deaths from TB in 2023 is more than that of any other infectious disease. Covid-19 is still a real public health threat, but recorded deaths have decreased significantly since 2022, in the US and around the world (according to data collected by the WHO, 320,000 covid-19 deaths were reported last year). That said, the numbers improved slightly in 2022, where 1.32 million people died from TB. And there have been other great trends as of late.

Overall, global efforts to control and prevent TB are far behind the goals recommended by the WHO. And interventional research such as improved drugs and TB vaccines is underfunded. So much more needs to be done to stop this great killer.

“We are facing a number of major challenges: lack of funding and the catastrophic financial burden on those affected, climate change, conflict, migration and migration, epidemics, and drug-resistant tuberculosis, the great push for resistance,” said Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Program in a statement. . “It is important that we unite in all sectors and stakeholders, to face these pressing issues and strengthen our efforts.”