In 2019, 1.4 million people died from tuberculosis worldwide. This year 2020 could be marked by an increase from 200,000 to 400,000 deaths due to infectious disease, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which in particular slowed down the detection, and therefore the treatment, of many cases. At least that’s what worries the WHO, in a press release released by AFP.
Between the end of March and the end of April, weekly notifications of tuberculosis patients fell by 50% in India, the country most affected by lung disease. This is the period when the country imposed confinement on its citizens, explaining this fall by greater difficulty in going to the doctor. Another very marked country, South Africa, also recorded a record drop in screening between the months of March and June.
The most affected countries are those in the process of development, where 95% of tuberculosis cases are notified. The most marked region is South East Asia, with 44% of cases in 2019, followed by Africa which concentrated 25% in the same year. Pathology, which often attacks the lungs, is among the top 10 causes of death in the world.
A disease that can be treated, but must be detected in time
On the other hand, medical personnel, technical and financial resources around the world are directed to fight against Covid-19, which represents a brake in the fight against tuberculosis. Scientists fear delays in the discovery of cancers, or an increase in stillborn babies, following less accessible care in 2020.
In the longer term, between 2020 and 2025, the WHO estimated that 3 months of confinement could cause 6 million more infections tuberculosis bacillus and lead to the death of1.4 million more patients. This represents a total of deaths which would double those recorded in 2019. Remember that if it is detected in time, tuberculosis can be cured with antibiotic treatment.
Read also:
- Tuberculosis is back in northern France
- Perinatal mourning: “with the death of a baby, we must mourn the future”
