According to a recent World Health Organisation report, tuberculosis (TB) has become the leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths in 2023, overtaking COVID-19. With over 8.2 million new TB diagnoses – the highest recorded since monitoring began in 1995 – the report emphasises the urgent need for increased funding and resources in the fight against TB.
The WHO data reveals a surge to 8.2 million new diagnoses in 2023, up from 7.5 million in 2022, signalling a record year since global monitoring began. However, eradicating TB remains a challenging goal due to severe funding gaps, especially in low- and middle-income countries where 98% of cases occur.
While TB-related deaths dropped to 1.25 million in 2023 from 1.32 million in 2022, the total number of people falling ill rose slightly to 10.8 million. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed frustration over the disease’s high toll, saying that the fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it.
Global targets for tuberculosis eradication remain off-track
The report highlights that global goals for reducing the TB burden are behind schedule, with urgent progress required to meet the targets set for 2027. Despite efforts, multidrug-resistant TB continues to pose a significant health threat, particularly in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure.
In 2023, the gap between estimated and reported new TB cases dropped to around 2.7 million, a decrease from the pandemic levels of approximately 4 million in 2020 and 2021. Nevertheless, WHO stresses that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remains a global health crisis, needing continued focus and investment to achieve a meaningful reduction in cases.