The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today that the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to reverse global progress against tuberculosis (TB).In its latest global TB report, the WHO says that reallocation of human, financial, and other resources from TB treatment and prevention to the COVID-19 response has resulted in fewer TB case notifications in more than 200 countries.
TB notifications in three of the highest-burden countries—India, Indonesia, and the Philippines—fell by 25% to 30% from January to June compared with the same period in 2019 because of health disruptions caused by the pandemic.The drop in notifications is significant because roughly 85% of people who are diagnosed with the disease and notified can be successfully