The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined there are about half a million more cases of tuberculosis (TB) than has been previously estimated.
The new findings show about nine million people developed TB in 2013, and1.5 of those individuals died. The report does show the mortality rate from TB has dropped by 45 percent since1990, and 37 million lives have been saved through modern medicine since 2000.
"Following a concerted effort by countries, by WHO and by multiple partners, investment in national surveys and routine surveillance efforts has substantially increased. This is providing us with much more and better data, bringing us closer and closer to understanding the true burden of tuberculosis," said Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the Global TB Programme, WHO.
While TB rates are on the decline, the report still estimates that a "staggering" number of lives are being lost at the hands of a disease that is considered to be curable. They found TB is the "second biggest killer from an infectious agent."
About three million people who have TB are believed to be overlooked by the health system annually because they are not diagnosed, or their diagnosis is not reported.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is also still seen as a daunting problem, with 480,000 new cases diagnosed in 2013. About 3.5 percent of all patients who developed TB in 2013 had the drug-resistant strain, which is significantly harder to treat. The number of patients being treated for drug-resistant TB increased three-fold since 2009, but about 48 percent of these patients were cured.
"The progress that has been made in combatting MDR-TB has been hard won and must be intensified. Containing and reversing the epidemic requires immediate and sustained efforts by all stakeholders," said Dr. Karin Weyer, WHO Coordinator for Laboratories, Diagnostics and Drug Resistance. "Improved diagnostic tools and access mean that we are detecting and treating more cases. But the gap between detecting and actually getting people started on treatment is widening and we urgently need increased commitment and funding to test and treat every case. In countries such as Estonia and Latvia, where there is universal access to rapid diagnostics and treatment, the number of MDR-TB cases has fallen significantly. This shows what can be achieved."
The WHO's "Global Tuberculosis Report 2014" will be presented and discussed during the upcoming Union World Conference on Lung Health in Barcelona, Spain next week.
