The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its 2023 Global TB report, revealing a concerning statistic: India accounted for the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world in 2022, making up 27 percent of the global burden. The report further points out that 30 high burden TB countries collectively contributed to 87 percent of the world's TB cases in 2022.
Among the top eight high burden countries, India was at the forefront with 2.8 million TB cases in 2022, with a case fatality ratio of 12 percent. The report estimated that the number of deaths in India due to TB was approximately 342,000, with a majority occurring among HIV-negative individuals.
Other high burden countries in the list included Indonesia (10 percent), China (7.1 percent), the Philippines (7.0 percent), Pakistan (5.7 percent), Nigeria (4.5 percent), Bangladesh (3.6 percent), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (3.0 percent). Notably, India also recorded 1.1 lakh cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in 2022.
Despite these alarming statistics, there is a silver lining. Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Global TB Programme, highlighted a positive global trend in 2022, marking a recovery in the number of people diagnosed with TB and receiving treatment. This recovery was attributed to improved access to healthcare services in many countries.
India, along with Indonesia and the Philippines, contributed significantly to global reductions in the number of newly diagnosed TB cases in 2020 and 2021. These countries managed to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The report underlines a worldwide improvement in the scale-up of TB diagnosis and treatment services in 2022, which is beginning to reverse the adverse effects of COVID-19 disruptions on TB services.
The WHO report presents data from 192 countries and regions, revealing that 7.5 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2022, the highest figure recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995. Additionally, the TB incidence rate, which measures new cases per 100,000 population per year, increased by 3.9 percent between 2020 and 2022, marking a reversal of declines observed over the past two decades.
These findings emphasize the critical need for continued efforts to combat TB, especially in high burden countries, and the importance of strengthening healthcare systems to provide early diagnosis and effective treatment. While the challenges are significant, the report indicates that progress is being made to tackle this global health issue.