WASHINGTON, DC – On the eve of World Tuberculosis Day on Sunday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on countries in the Americas to intensify the fight against tuberculosis.
On Friday, PAHO said that Tuberculosis, or TB, is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide, surpassed only by COVID-19.
In the Americas, about 325,000 people fell ill from TB in 2023 and 35,000 died from the disease, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report.
PAHO said these figures represent an increase of 14 percent and 41 percent, respectively, compared to 2015, “a surge exacerbated by the pandemic.”
In addition, PAHO said an estimated 83,000 people went undiagnosed and untreated for TB.
“It is time to redouble efforts and work toward a future where TB is no longer a public health threat,” urged PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. “Countries in the Americas have committed to TB elimination, and we have new technologies and strategies that could bring us closer to realizing this vision.”
Among the advancements that can help countries eliminate tuberculosis by 2030, Dr. Barbosa highlighted AI-assisted radiography for active case finding within communities, rapid molecular tests to detect the disease at the primary healthcare level and oral and shorter treatments.
Additionally, the PAHO director stressed the importance of increasing investment, multisectoral collaboration, and adoption of latest WHO recommendations to reverse the trend of increasing TB cases.
PAHO said the burden of tuberculosis varies significantly among countries in the region. In 2022, while three countries recorded a high incidence of tuberculosis – with over 100 cases per 100,000 population – 14 countries and territories managed to reduce TB incidence to low levels, especially in the Caribbean region, and some are close to reach the threshold for disease elimination, PAHO said.
“Despite the strong impact of the pandemic and the significant heterogeneity in incidence, the Americas are uniquely positioned to become the first region in the world to eliminate TB,” said Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, director of PAHO’s Department for the Prevention, Control and Elimination of Communicable Diseases.
Dr. Aldighieri stressed that the organization’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which was relaunched in September 2023 and addresses TB, is central to achieving this goal.
PAHO said it works in partnership with countries in the Americas to end TB, and ensure equitable access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment services.
To mark World Tuberculosis Day, PAHO said it will hold a high-level event on Monday, where leaders, representatives from civil society and health experts from the region will discuss opportunities and challenges towards TB elimination in the Americas.
