Tuberculosis still claims millions of deaths

WHO report records 1.5 million tuberculosis victims in 2013

23/10/2014

The fight against the bacterial infectious disease tuberculosis has been a major success worldwide, and lung disease has already been eradicated in many areas. But especially in poorer countries there is often a shortage of medicines, which still millions of people fall victim to the disease. If anything were changed seriously, many deaths could be prevented - but according to the World Health Organization (WHO), two billion dollars would be missing each year for such measures.

TB in principle curable with antibiotics
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.5 people are still dying from tuberculosis (TB) every year. A frightening result, because the disease is in principle curable with antibiotics and was therefore already defeated in many areas. Despite medical advances, however, tuberculosis often ends in death, especially in poorer countries, because lack of care and the rise of resistant strains make the fight against the pathogens more difficult.

People with weakened immune systems particularly at risk
TB is caused by various types of mycobacteria and in most cases affects the lungs, but can also spread across the bloodstream to affect all other organs in the body. The transmission is usually via the inhalation of infectious droplets (aerosols), the disease actually breaks out only in relatively little infected. Above all, people whose immune defense is weakened (for example elderly, malnourished or drug addicts, babies, toddlers) are at risk, and if left untreated TB will result in death in about half of the affected individuals within two to five years.

Worldwide, about nine million people are infected
As from the current „Tuberculosis Report 2014“ It also indicates that there are around nine million people in total „white plague“ disease, with which the lung disease continues to lead the world statistics of deadly infectious diseases. In particular, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific regions were affected in absolute terms, where alone 54 percent of all cases had been counted. In relation to population size, however, according to the report, the incidence and mortality rates are highest in Africa - although only a quarter of the cases were recorded here.

Close connection between tuberculosis and HIV infections
As the WHO further states, while the number of deaths would decrease overall in recent years, the number of victims remains high „unacceptably high“, An estimated 37 million people in the years 2000 to 2013 could have been saved by better diagnosis and therapy. The close connection between tuberculosis and HIV infection should be taken into account, as of the 1.5 million deaths caused by TB, at least 360,000 were HIV positive. „The progress made in combating MDR-TB has been hard-won and needs to be stepped up. Limiting and reversing the epidemic requires immediate and sustained efforts by all stakeholders“, so Dr. Karin Weyer from the WHO.

A funding gap of $ 2 billion makes it difficult to fight the diseaseHowever, according to the WHO, current financial resources would not be enough to increase the fight against the dangerous disease, because instead of the required $ 8 billion ($ 6.3 billion), only $ 6 billion is currently available. An instance of maladministration that urgently needs to be addressed from the perspective of the organization: „In addition to the serious underfunding of research, $ 8 billion a year is needed to prevent, diagnose and treat TB and MDR-TB. National and international funding must be strengthened here to avoid millions of unnecessary deaths“, said Katherine Floyd of the WHO. (No)