Countries with the highest TB (TB) burden have noticed significant relief in notifications of new cases, with access to a greater challenge due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was the main conclusion of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global TB Report 2020. , for which knowledge was gathered in more than two hundred countries.
According to the WHO model, reducing notifications of new cases can lead to a dramatic increase in more TB deaths.
India, Indonesia and the Philippines are among the 3 highest-burdened countries that experienced a 25-30% drop in reports of new cases between January and June 2020, at the same time last year. At 17%, India is home to the largest proportion of TB patients in the world, followed by Nigeria (11%), Indonesia (10%), Pakistan (8%) Philippines (7%).
“Equitable access to quality and timely diagnosis, prevention, repair and care remains a challenge,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Accelerated action is needed around the world if we are to achieve our goals until 2022. “
WHO’s TB elimination strategy aims to effectively treat 40 million others with TB by 2022, of whom 14 million others were treated between 2018 and 2019.
Approximately 1. 4 million others died from TB-related diseases in 2019; of the 10 million people who developed TB that year, about 3 million were not officially diagnosed or reported to national authorities.
The scenario was worse for others with drug-resistant TB. Of the approximately 465,000 people recently diagnosed with drug-resistant TB in 2019, less than 40% were able to access the remedy. Those who received the remedy are no longer contagious and, therefore, The notification of new instances and their solution is essential for the prevention of tuberculosis.
TB resources reassigned to Covid-19
Countries have taken steps to mitigate the effect of Covid-19 on essential TB services, according to WHO. A total of 108 countries, adding up to 21 countries with a higher TB load, have expanded the use of virtual technologies.
“In the face of the pandemic, countries, civil society and other partners have come together to ensure the maintenance of essential facilities for tuberculosis and Covid-19 for people in need,” dr. Tereza Kaseva, Director of WHO. Global Tuberculosis Program. “These efforts are essential to condition systems, make some aptitude for all, and save lives. “
But in many countries, the human and monetary resources allocated in the past to TUBERCULOSis have been reallocated to Covid-19’s response. Data collection and reporting systems were also affected.
Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest cause of infectious death caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that affects the lungs as much as the virus guilty of Covid-19. It can spread when others with TB expel bacteria into the air, such as coughing. In about 85% of others who expand TB, the disease can be effectively treated with a six-month drug regimen.
I am a scientific journalist in India, I write about climate change, the environment and public health. I’ve done a lot of reports on maternal health, malnutrition,
I am a scientific journalist founded in India, writing about climate change, the surrounding area and public health. I have reported extensively on maternal health, malnutrition, infectious diseases and how climate change is affecting communities across India. I am the winner of the 2018 Global Health Reporting Award and a master’s degree in scientific, environmental and medical journalism from Columbia University, New York. I was a researcher at the United Nations in 2019 and won grants for reports from the Pulitzer Center and the International Media Fund for Women (IWMF). , among others.