Covid-19 is no longer the deadliest infectious disease in the world. After being the deadliest in 2020, 2021 and 2022, it caused the death of 320,000 people in 2023, compared to 1.25 million people for tuberculosis, which therefore regains the position it held for many years before the pandemic.
This is the conclusion of a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) published on October 29, 2024 and relayed by IFLScience . According to data, 10.8 million people contracted tuberculosis in 2023. An alarming figure as the disease continues to increase: 10.7 million cases recorded in 2022, 10.4 million in 2021 and 10.1 million in 2020.
Six vaccines in preparation
Last year, more than half of infections occurred in India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan. Tuberculosis is curable in 85% of cases but kills nearly 50% of patients who do not receive treatment. In its report, the WHO calls for “urgent action” and recalls that UN member states have committed to ending the epidemic by 2030.
Although the objective is still far from being achieved, the WHO has nevertheless identified positive trends. For example, the number of deaths linked to tuberculosis occurring in 2023 is again lower than the 1.34 million deaths recorded in 2019. In addition, six new vaccines are currently in phase III clinical trials and could be available from here 5 years.
Worrying underfinancing
However, funding for the fight against tuberculosis remains far from the set objectives. In 2023, only $5.7 billion was released for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while the WHO estimated this need at $22 billion by 2027.
“The fact that tuberculosis kills and sickens so many people is a scandal, even though we have the tools to prevent, detect and treat itdeclared the Director General of the WHO in a press release. WHO urges all countries to honor the concrete commitments they have made to expand the use of these tools and end TB. »
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