The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB.
Between 2020 and 2021, more than half of all countries reported disrupted TB services, and for the first time in more than a decade, deaths from TB increased in 2020. Challenges with providing and accessing essential TB services have meant that many people with TB were not diagnosed in 2020, and WHO estimates a global decline of 18% in the number of people newly diagnosed with TB, back to the levels measured in 2012.
While fighting COVID-19, our staff has remained committed to sustaining essential TB services and to bringing diagnostic, preventive, and treatment services to people at high risk for TB. We have run ad campaigns in Ethiopia to educate families on the importance of preventative TB treatment, strengthened stock management systems for TB medicines in Bangladesh, and helped governments use key TB resources more efficiently.
Every day more than 4,000 people die and 27,000 people become ill with TB. We must sound the alarm that TB is the single largest infectious killer and respond appropriately to what TB truly is: a global public health emergency. MSH is joining partners worldwide to urge the international community, donors, and governments to increase funding and political support for TB control efforts. This is the time to invest to save the lives of the most vulnerable populations.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pedro Suarez
Global TB Lead at MSH
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