The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hamper efforts to diagnose and treat tuberculosis (TB), and international funding for the disease remains inadequate, according to new data from a TB research and advocacy group.The data, released in a report today from the Stop TB Partnership, show that 1.2 million fewer people have been diagnosed and treated for TB in 2021 than in 2019, suggesting the pandemic's impact on TB treatment and diagnosis has been nearly as bad as it was in 2020.
And the money being provided for the global TB response is only half of what's needed.The groups says the lack of funding and the disruption to TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services during the pandemic have set back efforts to achieve the United Nations (UN)