TB cases have increased rapidly. The shocking thing is that when we have the means to stop TB, There are means to identify and treat, Yet due to this, so many deaths are occurring and people are becoming its victims.
Circumstances are favourable, but the result is reverse. This is the story of Tuberculosis (TB), a once deadly disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, 82 lakh people will be infected with TB in 2023, which is the highest number since surveillance began in 1995. This figure is much higher than the 75 lakh new cases reported in 2022. Apart from these, it is estimated that there are a large number of people in whom this disease could not be diagnosed. Now consider this comment from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – “It is shocking that even when we have the means to prevent, detect and treat TB, it is still causing so many deaths and people. Are being made.”
WHO reports that drug-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) cases have also improved. The treatment success rate in normal TB cases is 88 percent, while in MDR/RR-TB cases it reaches 68 percent. Still TB cases are increasing. India is among the countries most affected by the return of TB. In most middle-income countries, including India, this situation has arisen due to lack of emphasis on the preventive aspect of health. In the era of privatization of every service, public health is no longer a priority.
According to WHO, about 50 percent of patients face “disastrous” expenses during treatment. This means that their medical expenses are more than 20 percent of their income. Naturally, the report makes special mention of the lack of funding for TB-related services. A high-level UN meeting in 2023 said that $22 billion should be raised every year for TB services by 2027. Only $5.7 billion of funding was available in 2023 – just 26 percent of the total need. In such a situation, the return of TB is not surprising.