COVID-19 has been on top of the list of infectious diseases for a number of years. This is expected as the pandemic, which was global and didn’t spare any country, claimed the lives of a number of people and affected the everyday life of millions.
Recently, however, the World Health Organization stated that tuberculosis (TB) has retaken its position as the leading infectious disease, surpassing COVID-19, as per The Hearty Soul.
WHO reported that in 2023, the number of people diagnoses with TB was approximately 8.2 million. This is the highest since 1995 when the organization started the monitoring process of the infectious disease.
“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,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO urges all countries to make good on the concrete commitments they have made to expand the use of those tools, and to end TB.”
Tuberculosis is an infection that usually affects the lungs.
However, it also can affect other parts of the body such as the kidneys, the spine, or the brain.
Most people who have TB infection will never develop TB disease.
The treatment of this infectious disease involves the use of antibiotics, and if left untreated, it can be very serious. There is also a vaccine, called the BCG vaccine, recommended for people who are at higher risk of catching TB or getting seriously ill from it. In certain countries, the babies are vaccinated with it right after birth.
TB spreads through the air, when a person who is infected sneezes, coughs, or talks.
This infectious disease primarily affects people from low and middle-income countries, with limited access to healthcare.
56% of those affected are from India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, and Pakistan.
NHS lists the most common symptoms of TB, which include: persistent cough that lasts more than three weeks, mostly accompanied with mucus and bloody mucus, high temperature and night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling tired or exhausted.