Tuberculosis is on the rise again globally for the first time in a decade, linked to disruptions in access to healthcare because of the Covid pandemic, the World Health Orgnization said on Thursday.
The setback has erased years of progress toward tackling the curable disease, which affects millions of people worldwide.
WHO says around 4.1 million people have tuberculosis but have not been diagnosed or officially declared, up sharply from 2.9 million in 2019.
“This is alarming news that must serve as a global wake-up call to the urgent need for investments and innovation to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
