Thanks to a new method, researchers have succeeded in determining how many people could be carriers of tuberculosis in the world.
Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that primarily affects the lungs. In 2016, 1.7 million people died, making it the deadliest infectious disease in the world. Until then, it was estimated that between a third and a quarter of the world’s population carried the bacteria. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which only wakes up in 5-10% of cases. For the first time, Danish and Swedish researchers have used a method to determine the incidence of latent tuberculosis worldwide. And according to their study published in the European Respiratory Journalthe figures are slightly lower than expected.
The researchers reviewed scientific studies from 36 different countries and, based on epidemiological evidence, they estimated a prevalence also in states where no studies were available. They also calculated the total approximation of the overall prevalence. Result: between a quarter and a fifth of the population would be carriers of the disease depending on the method used for the calculations.
“All infected people are at risk of developing active tuberculosis”
Although these figures are slightly lower than previous estimates, “this study proves that it will be very difficult to reach the WHO goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2035. The latter cannot be reached without treating tuberculosis. high incidence of latent tuberculosis, since all infected people have a risk of developing active tuberculosis later in life,” explains Christian Wejse, an infectious disease specialist who participated in the study.
At the beginning of July, British researchers caused a stir by announcing that they had succeeded in developing a potential new blood test able to identify tuberculosis in sick and even in patients at risk.
In France, the health authorities strongly recommend vaccination against tuberculosis, especially in infants, who are particularly vulnerable. However, this has not been compulsory since 2007. And today, if the incidence of the disease is low in France, it has not completely disappeared. In 2015, there were still 4,741 new cases reported.
The disease is mainly present in the most disadvantaged countries
Symptoms of tuberculosis include fever, night sweats, weight loss and anorexia. In 85% of cases, the disease is pulmonary. Screening is usually done during a usual consultation with the doctor with patients who show signs of impregnation and respiratory symptoms lasting for more than two weeks.
But not all infected people have the chance to be treated quickly. In poor countries, where the disease is spreading the most due to precariousness, promiscuity, illiteracy and insufficient medical infrastructure, access to diagnosis and treatment is a problem.
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