Epidemic Information

WHO Releases New Global Lists of High-Burden Countries for Tuberculosis, HIV-Associated Tuberculosis
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its global lists of high-burden countries for tuberculosis (TB), HIV-associated TB, and multidrug/rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) 1. These lists, effective from 2021 to 2025, aim to focus global action on countries where progress is most critical to achieve targets outlined in the End TB Strategy, the 2018 UN High-Level Meeting on TB, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1.

  Key Details:

  1. Selection Criteria:
     • Each list includes 30 countries chosen based on:
       • Top 20 countries with the highest estimated absolute number of new TB cases in 2019.
       • Next 10 countries with the most severe TB burden (incidence rate per 100,000 population) that meet minimum case thresholds (e.g., ≥10,000 new TB cases annually) 1.
     • Collectively, these countries account for 86–90% of the global TB burden in their respective categories 1.
  2. Updated Lists:
     • TB High-Burden Countries: New additions include Gabon, Mongolia, and Uganda, while Cambodia, Russia, and Zimbabwe transitioned out due to reduced TB incidence 1.
     • TB/HIV High-Burden Countries: Gabon, Guinea, the Philippines, and Russia joined the list, replacing Angola, Chad, Ghana, and Papua New Guinea 1.
     • MDR/RR-TB High-Burden Countries: Mongolia, Nepal, and Zambia were added, while Ethiopia, Kenya, and Thailand were removed 1.
  3. Significance:
     • The lists prioritize countries with the highest TB burden, guiding political commitment, funding allocation, and global monitoring 1.
     • WHO also introduced a "Global TB Watchlist" to monitor countries that recently exited the high-burden lists but still require support, such as Cambodia and Zimbabwe 1.
  4. Context:
     • The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on TB services was considered, but the lists were finalized based on pre-pandemic data (2019) to ensure stability 1.
     • TB remains a leading infectious disease killer, with 10.8 million new cases and 1.25 million deaths globally in 2023 15. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) continues to pose a crisis, with only 44% of affected individuals accessing treatment in 2023 15.
  
  
  For the full lists and detailed country-specific data, visit the WHO website.
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