Tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise and has once again overtaken COVID-19 as the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. This is the first, clear one, given that it emerges from the Global Tuberculosis Report. The 2024 edition, published at the end of October, tells us that worldwide there will be 8.2 million people diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2023
But let’s take a step back. There tuberculosisas the introduction to the World Health Organization report reminds us, is a preventable and usually treatable disease. It is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosiswhich is spread when sick people expel the bacteria into the air, for example by coughing. It is also estimated that about a quarter of the world’s population has been infected with tuberculosis.
The leading cause of death in the world from a single infectious agent
In 2023 therefore, the TB has once again become the leading cause of death in the world for a single infectious agent, after 3 years in which it was replaced by COVID-19. Also in 2023, it caused almost double the deaths of HIV/AIDS. Over 10 million people continue to get sick with TB every year and the number has been increasing since 2021.
They are data that represent the highest number of TB cases recorded by WHO since 1995, that is, since global tuberculosis monitoring began. It also marks a significant increase compared to the 7.5 million new TB cases reported in 2022. Furthermore, if we consider the total number of people who contracted TB last year, a number that also includes those who have not received an official diagnosis, we are talking about 10.8 million peoplecompared to 10.7 million in 2022 and 10.1 million in 2020.
Deaths from tuberculosis
In 2023 they are estimated to have died 1.25 million people affected by tuberculosis worldwide. The figure is down from the 1.32 million recorded in 2022 and is continuing a downward trend since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data which, according to the World Health Organization, are positive trends that suggest that TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment services have largely recovered from COVID-related disruptions.
“The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is a scandal, when we have the tools to prevent, detect and treat it,” said the WHO director general. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – WHO urges all countries to meet their concrete commitments to expand the use of these tools and end TB.”
The data also shows that 30 mostly low- and middle-income countries bear 87% of the global burden of tuberculosis, with five countries (India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan) together accounting for 56% of the total recorded cases. Of the 8.2 million people diagnosed, 55% were men, 33% women and 12% children and young adolescents.
The risk factors
According to the report, a significant number of new TB cases are caused by five main risk factors: malnutrition, HIV infection, alcohol use disorders, smoking and diabetes.
However, there are also some positive notes. Reading the reports we see that the treatment success rate for drug-susceptible tuberculosis remains high, at 88%, and that the treatment success rate for multidrug-resistant or Rifampicin-resistant (MDR/RR) TB has risen to 68%. %. This is largely due to the shorter and less toxic treatment regimens for MDR/RR TB now recommended by the WHO. But of the 400,000 people estimated to have developed MDR/RR-TB in 2023, only 44% have received diagnosis and treatment.
The Italian data
In Italy in 2023 there were 2,600 new diagnosed cases of tuberculosis, which corresponds to a rate of 4.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This is a decreasing figure, by 33% compared to 2015, but we also know that one of the objectives for 2025 is to reduce the incidence by 50% compared to 2015 and the number of total deaths by 75%. By 2023, the reduction in deaths was only 11% compared to 2015.
