Epidemic Information

Highlights: 2021 Global Tuberculosis Report Released — Expert Analysis of Key Data
• The World Health Organization (WHO) published the 2021 Global Tuberculosis Report on October 14, 2021, providing a comprehensive assessment of the global TB epidemic and progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment 12. Below is an authoritative interpretation of its critical findings:

  Key Data and Trends

  1. Global Burden:
     • In 2020, an estimated 9.9 million people (8.9–10.9 million) fell ill with TB worldwide, including 5.5 million men, 3.3 million women, and 1.1 million children.
     • TB accounted for 1.5 million deaths, including 214,000 people with HIV. This marks a decline from 2.4 million deaths in 2000 12.
  2. Regional Hotspots:
     • Eight countries (India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and South Africa) contributed two-thirds of the global TB cases 12.
  3. Incidence Rate:
     • TB incidence dropped by 11% between 2015 and 2020 (from 142 to 127 new cases per 100,000 population), with a 1.9% reduction compared to 2019 12.
  4. Treatment Coverage:
     • TB treatment saved 66 million lives globally between 2000 and 2020.
     • However, 4.1 million people with TB were undiagnosed or unreported in 2020, up from 2.9 million in 2019 2.
  5. Drug-Resistant TB:
     • Cases of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) fell by 15% in 2020, with only 1 in 3 people in need receiving treatment.
     • 65 countries adopted shorter regimens for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), and 90 countries used all-oral longer regimens 2.
  6. HIV-Associated TB:
     • 376,000 people living with HIV were diagnosed with TB in 2020, with 88% on antiretroviral therapy.
     • TB preventive treatment reached 2.8 million people in 2020, a 21% reduction from 2019 2.

  COVID-19 Impact

  • The pandemic caused a 21% drop in TB notifications globally in 2020, with India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China accounting for 75% of the decline.
  • Delays in diagnosis and treatment due to overwhelmed healthcare systems risked reversing decades of progress 2.

  Diagnostic and Treatment Innovations

  • Rapid diagnostic tests identified 1.9 million TB cases in 2020, covering 33% of newly diagnosed patients.
  • Bedaquiline, a key drug for MDR-TB, was used in 109 countries by the end of 2020 2.

  Strategic Priorities

  • Funding Gaps: Annual investments of US$13 billion are needed by 2022 to meet global TB targets.
  • Multisectoral Action: Addressing social determinants (e.g., poverty, malnutrition) through frameworks like the WHO’s Multisectoral Accountability Framework for TB (MAF-TB) 2.
  
  
  For the full report, visit the WHO website.
  
  
  Source: World Health Organization (WHO), Global Tuberculosis Report 2021 12.
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