Data | TB deaths on a seven-year high as case notifications and outpatient visits dipped in 2020
The Hindu
India spent the least on TB drugs per patient despite the highest-burden of cases
As many as 1.3 million fewer cases of Tuberculosis were detected in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the WHO. The drop in cases can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic as there was reduced access to disease diagnosis and treatment as well as curtailed spending since the since the infection outbreak. This reversed the gains made over the past few years in detection of TB cases. Following a drop in detection of new cases, for the first time in the last 16 years in the world. The estimated TB deaths in India were the highest in seven years in 2020. Visits for treatment also fell sharply. Worryingly, among high-burden nations, India spent the least on TB drugs per patient despite accounting for an estimated 28% of the new cases last year.
The chart depicts the year-wise number of new TB cases reported globally. The pandemic year saw a sharp decline in new diagnosed cases, which were otherwise following an increasing trend till 2019.