News: The World Health Organization(WHO) has released the Global tuberculosis report 2020.
Facts:
- Global tuberculosis report: It has been published annually since 1997.
- Purpose: It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease at global, regional and country levels.
Key Takeaways:
- TB Cases: Globally, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with TB in 2019, a number that has been declining very slowly in recent years.
- Deaths due to TB: There were an estimated 1.2 million TB deaths among HIV-negative people in 2019 (a reduction from 1.7 million in 2000) and an additional 208,000 deaths among HIV-positive people (a reduction from 678,000 in 2000).
- Highest TB Cases: Eight countries accounted for two thirds of the global TB Cases: India (26%), Indonesia (8.5%), China (8.4%), Philippines (6.0%), Pakistan (5.7%), Nigeria (4.4%), Bangladesh (3.6%) and South Africa (3.6%).
- Drug-resistant TB: Drug-resistant Tuberculosis continues to be a public health threat.The three countries with the largest share of the global burden were India (27%), China (14%) and the Russian Federation (8%).
Additional Facts:
- Tuberculosis(TB): It is an infectious airborne bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- End TB Strategy: It was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2014.It serves as a blueprint for countries to reduce TB incidence by 80%, TB deaths by 90% and to eliminate catastrophic costs for TB-affected households by 2030.
