Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Israelis in the Gush Dan area and al-Quds were asked to enter shelters immediately
Sirens sound in Tel Aviv and occupied al-Quds after a missile was launched from Yemen
Sheikh Qassem: We are ready to defend ourselves if 'Israel' attacks us in a way that we believe calls for us to defend ourselves
Sheikh Qassem: "Israel" will never be handed over our weapons
Sheikh Qassem: He who refuses so and accepts humiliation, that is their own business, but for us, we will not accept humiliation. We have made great sacrifices, and our strength has helped us achieve this result
Sheikh Qassem: Be patient with the issue of exclusivity of arms with the state in the face of the great danger that will not spare Lebanon; let us speak with one voice and work for the sake of priority
Sheikh Qassem: Lebanon faces three real dangers: 'Israel', ISIS tools on the eastern border, and US tyranny
Sheikh Qassem: Today, we are faced by an Israeli threat and Israeli arms that can be used elsewhere, and this is the greatest danger threatening Lebanon
Sheikh Qassem: The US administration is coordinating the war with 'Israel' and working to expand it in the region
Sheikh Qassem: They want to prevent any action that could constitute resistance to 'Israel's' expansion in the region and to strike anything that could pose a threat to it

Tuberculosis on the rise after years of decline

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Oct 2022 20:02
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

TB killed around 1.6 million people in 2021, up 14% in two years.

  • x
  • Tuberculosis on the rise after years of decline
    Lungs infected with TB

After years of decline in numbers, tuberculosis is making a harsh rebound, killing around 1.6 million people in 2021, which is a 14% increase in the last 2 years, according to the World Health Organization on Thursday.

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria that is known to affect the lungs. Like COVID-19, it is transmitted through the air by infected people; it is preventable and curable.

Tuberculosis has recently been dubbed as a worse threat than COVID-19, claiming 1.5 million lives in 2020 and 1.4 million in 2019. The disease's resurgence is blamed on, according to the WHO, the pandemic, since the crisis had a huge and ongoing impact on access to diagnosis and treatment.

"Globally, the annual estimated number of deaths from TB fell between 2005 and 2019, but the estimates for 2020 and 2021 suggest that this trend has been reversed," wrote the WHO in its most recent Global TB report.

Most of the deaths are coming from four countries: India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. TB will "once again be the leading cause of death worldwide from a single infectious agent, replacing Covid-19," the report wrote.

Last week, Mel Spigelman, president of the non-profit TB Alliance, lauded the Covid pandemic's rapid and dramatic progress, with a vast array of safe and effective vaccines, tests, and treatments developed in less than two years.

Related News

Johnson & Johnson investigated in South Africa for high TB drug price

Cheaper TB drugs for millions after global deal on patent rights

"But the juxtaposition with TB is pretty stark," he said as quoted by AFP.

Before Covid-19, tuberculosis was the world's leading infectious disease, killing 1.5 million people each year.

"TB has regained the dubious distinction," Spigelman said, referring to the steady decline in global Covid deaths.

Read next: Policy of utmost neglect in Bahraini prison amid Tuberculosis outbreak

According to the TB Alliance, a non-profit organization that works to develop and deliver faster-acting and more affordable drugs against the disease, particularly in poorer countries, TB kills 4,109 people per day, while 1,449 people die each day as a result of Covid, based on the 40,578 deaths reported in the previous 28 days on the Johns Hopkins University dashboard.

However, unlike Covid, there appears to be little, if any, interest in taking on TB.

Read more: Diseases suppressed during Covid are coming back

  • Tuberculosis
  • COVID-19

Most Read

Algerian nurse stabbed in Germany

Murder of Algerian nurse in Germany sparks outcry, demands for justice

  • Europe
  • 14 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam Brigades fighters confront Israeli soldiers in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

3 Israeli soldiers killed amid Gaza battles: Israeli media

  • Palestine
  • 14 Jul 2025
Al Mayadeen: UN Palestine Inquiry members reportedly resigned

Exclusive: UN Palestine Inquiry members reportedly resigned

  • Politics
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
George Abdallah: Europe's longest-held political prisoner to be freed
Politics

Georges Abdallah: Europe's longest-held political prisoner to be freed

A still from the video released by al-Qassam Brigades, which reads, "Captivity is better than death", on July 17, 2025 (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam releases video warning Israelis: Captivity better than death

Georges Abdallah attends his trial in Lyon on July 3, 1986 (Social Media)
Politics

'A symbol for every prisoner': Hezbollah hails Georges Abdallah

Plume of smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Qabrikha, July 17, 2025 (Social media)
Politics

'Israel' kills mother, father, injures 10-year-old daughter in Lebanon

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS