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Tuberculosis remains a major risk
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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The WHO is concerned that the actions taken to eliminate the tuberculosis epidemic are not as effective as they should be. According to new data, governments should improve prevention, detection and treatment methods. Global goals include reducing the death rate from tuberculosis by 90% and reducing new cases by 80%. According to Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, the spread of the infectious disease continues to outpace the actions taken by countries and in order to correct the situation, intensified and coordinated work of all countries is required.
Experts noted that one of the problems is inequality between countries, where the level of patient access to diagnostics and treatment varies significantly.
Efforts to combat tuberculosis saved more than 3 million lives in 2015, but surveillance data still show the disease is spreading rapidly.
Over the past year, more than 10 million people were infected worldwide, more than half of the new cases were in Pakistan, India, South Africa, Indonesia, India, China, and about 2 million people died. Since 2000, mortality from tuberculosis has decreased by 22%, but the disease still remains the leading cause of death, and more people have died from the infection than from HIV or malaria.
The main problem is still diagnostics - untimely detection of patients leads to the spread of infection. It is also noted that the drug-resistant form of tuberculosis threatens the entire public health system. This form is mainly found in India, Russia, China. Problems in the field of diagnostics prevent the adoption of appropriate measures for drug-resistant tuberculosis; last year, only every 5th patient with this form received the necessary treatment.
It is also worth noting the cure rates – on a global scale they are slightly higher than 50%.
The WHO noted that rapid tests and new drugs should be used to save humanity from the epidemic. Investments and actions taken today are insufficient and people are beginning to realize what antimicrobial resistance leads to.
Last year, not all those in need were able to access treatment and preventive measures. All this is caused by the lack of funds to combat the tuberculosis epidemic. In the United States, to allocate the necessary amount, income should be increased by 2 billion, otherwise the situation may worsen in 3-4 years. Also, an additional 1 billion dollars is needed annually to conduct research on new drugs, diagnostic methods, and preventive vaccines, but there are not enough resources to implement all the planned activities.
WHO reminded countries of the importance of maximizing health service coverage and increasing public health funding, especially in countries with high TB infection and mortality rates.