The World Health Organization estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, and 1.6 million people died from TB , according to its 2022 Global TB report.
The burden of drug-resistant TB also increased by 3% between 2020 and 2021, with 450,000 new cases of rifampicin-resistant TB in 2021.This is the first time in many years an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with TB and drug resistant TB. TB services are among many others disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, but its impact on the TB response has been particularly severe. Ongoing conflicts across Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East have further exacerbated the situation for vulnerable populations.
This comes ahead of an announcement from the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator which launched a six-month plan setting out how, as a partnership of global health agencies working alongside government, civil society and other partners, it will support countries as the world transitions to long-term Covid-19 control.An estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, and 1.