TB killing more than HIV and malaria combined

The World Health Organization 2016 Global Tuberculosis Report says the TB epidemic is worse than previously thought. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that the global TB epidemic is worse than previously thought, and efforts to end it are falling dramatically short of targets. The End TB Strategy , adopted by all WHO member states in 2014, aims to decrease TB incidence by 80 per cent and reduce TB deaths by 90 per cent by 2030. However, new data published in the WHO 2016 Global Tuberculosis Report show the rate of reduction in TB cases remained static at 1.5 per cent, from 2014 to 2015. The rate needs to accelerate to 4-5 percent by 2020. Worryingly the report shows the TB burden is actually higher than previously estimated, killing more people than HIV and malaria combined. In 2015, there were an estimated 10.4 million new TB cases worldwide and an estimated 1.8 million people died from the disease. Six countries accounted for 60 per cent of the total burden, with India bearing the brunt, followed by Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. The WHO says gaps in testing for TB and reporting new cases remain major challenges, as do treatment rates. It warns immediate investment is needed to tackle the epidemic.