For the first time in nearly 20 years, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) infections has increased internationally, sparking charges that the disease has been neglected because it primarily affects the underprivileged.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10.6 million people had TB diagnoses in 2021, a 4.5% rise from the year before.
Since 2000, the number of new cases has generally decreased by 2% year.
The WHO said Monday that TB-related fatalities increased for the second year in a row to 1.6 million in 2021.
During Covid lockdowns, many people were unable to acquire a diagnosis or treatment.
“It has become very evident that we now have a very serious scenario on our hands with an airborne illness that is entirely neglected, and which has been allowed to run rampant over the past two years,” said Dr. Lucica Ditiu, executive director of the Stop TB Partnership.
“Funding for the battle against TB reduced in 2020 and 2021 from an already pitifully low level, notwithstanding this startling rising trend in TB mortality and infection rates.
This irritates me and leaves me wondering why there is such a shortage of funding for TB.
Is it because governments don’t care about the people that live in them?
Is it because TB primarily affects poor people from impoverished nations, and it is more convenient to ignore them, or is it because the life of a person dying from TB is less important?
Mel Spigelman, head of the TB Alliance, claimed that Covid had taken “scarce resources” away from TB programs and the creation of innovative treatments, such as vaccinations, to combat the disease.
The need for medical innovations, such as potent drug regimens, efficient vaccinations, and point-of-care TB tests, is greater than ever, he said.
TB, which mostly affects the lungs, spreads by droplets in the air. It can be challenging to detect and can stay dormant for many years before causing health issues.
According to Prof. Jamie Triccas, a TB researcher at the University of Sydney, the existing vaccination, known as BCG, is more than 100 years old and only partially effective in adults, which limits our ability to control transmission.
According to Triccas, some promising vaccines have completed late-stage clinical studies but lack the financing necessary to complete their development.
Global funding for tuberculosis research totaled $915 million in 2020, well short of the $2 billion target set by the UN in 2018, according to a report released in December 2021 by the Treatment Action Group and the Stop TB Partnership. 13% of that sum was used for vaccine research, while Covid vaccines received billions in investment.
In 2021, global investment on key TB services decreased from $6 billion in 2019 to $5.4 billion, which is less than half of the global objective of $13 billion, according to the WHO’s annual Global TB Report.
“If the epidemic has taught us anything, it is that with unity, dedication, innovation, and the equitable use of instruments, we can overcome serious health risks,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO.
Let’s apply similar ideas to tuberculosis. Spigelman observed, “Diseases that impact the more wealthy segments of global society do not have the political pressure and financial incentives behind them.
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which last month received $14.25 billion of the $18 billion it sought to fund its operations for the next three years, is the primary international funding source for TB. The UK made no financial commitments.
