WHO: Tuberculosis cases rise for the first time in years
The World Health Organization says the number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years in 2021
By AP News
Published - Oct 27, 2022, 12:10 PM ET
Last Updated - Jun 24, 2023, 12:21 AM EDT
GENEVA (AP) — The number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years, according to a report issued Thursday by the World Health Organization.
The U.N. health agency said more than 10 million people worldwide were sickened by tuberculosis in 2021, a 4.5% rise from the year before. About 1.6 million people died, it said.
WHO said about 450,000 cases involved people infected with drug-resistant TB, 3% more than in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted services for people with TB along with many other health programs. WHO said many people went undiagnosed, noting that the number of people newly identified with TB fell from 7 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020.
