According to data released by the World Health Organization, in the year 2022, 75 lakh (7.5 million) cases of tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, have been registered worldwide. This disease, which is spreading rapidly globally, is causing the second-highest number of deaths in the world. According to WHO data, the highest number of TB cases have been reported in India. According to the report, 28.2 lakh TB cases were reported in India in the year 2022. However, some decline was recorded in TB cases between 2015 and 2022.

Highest number of TB cases in India
Apart from India, TB has become a rapidly spreading disease in many countries. In this, 10 percent of cases were recorded in Indonesia, 7 percent in China, 5.7 percent in Pakistan, 4.5 percent in Nigeria, and 3.6 percent in Bangladesh. Only India, Indonesia, and the Philippines have the highest number of TB patients. Patients from India, Indonesia, and the Philippines together account for 60 percent of the global total, which were newly reported in 2020 and 2021.

TB is the cause of death of more than 3 lakh people
According to the report, about 3 lakh 42 thousand people died due to TB in 2022. Out of these, 3 lakh 31 people were HIV negative, and 11 thousand people had HIV infection. Many of the patients who died did not receive proper TB treatment and some did not receive timely treatment. The report highlights a significant worldwide improvement in the scale-up of TB diagnosis and treatment services. Shows an encouraging trend to overcome the harmful effects of COVID-19.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom says that our ancestors suffered from TB and died without knowing about the cause and prevention of this disease. However, we know everything about this disease. We have opportunities that the generations before us did not have.

TB and Covid
Nearly thousands of people died from TB as a result of the impact of COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022, which was higher than the normal recorded figures. TB is also a common cause of death for HIV patients.

(PC: Freepik)