The World Health Organization warned, Thursday, October 14, that the disruption of health services due to the Covid-19 epidemic has wiped out many years of the fight against tuberculosis. The organization says that the number of deaths related to the disease has been on the rise since last year.

1.5 million deaths from tuberculosis in 2020

According to the WHO report, there were about 4.1 million people tuberculosis, but it was not diagnosed or officially announced in 2020. By comparison, this number was 2.9 million people in 2019. In addition, authorities identified 1.5 million deaths from tuberculosis last year.

Of these deaths, 214,000 were HIV-positive. A person infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis is not always sick. In fact, the infection can remain in a latent form, without the slightest manifestation of symptoms or the possibility of infection of other people. However, HIV is the most important factor that leads to infection with active tuberculosis.

Either way, the increase in deaths is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. During childbirth, some patients could not reach health centers, mainly due to COVID-19 Mobilize the nursing staff. In addition, the provision of tuberculosis treatment saw a 21% decline last year.

global warning sign

« This report confirms our concerns that the disruption of essential health services due to the pandemic could begin to undo years of progress against tuberculosis. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said this news should serve as a global warning signal. If governments do not act, the number of sick people and those dying from infection could increase dramatically in 2021 and 2022.

In particular, the organization asks governments to ” Investing and innovating to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease ».