WORLD NEWS | WHO calls for intensified action to end TB in South-East Asia

Geneva [Switzerland]24 March (ANI): On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for intensified action to eradicate the disease in Southeast Asia, the region with the highest burden of tuberculosis in the world.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, highlighted the urgent need for countries and partners to strengthen high-level leadership and investment to accelerate the uptake of new WHO recommendations and innovations, to better address social and economic determinants, and to improve multisectoral collaboration, According to a WHO press release.

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Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only stalled progress but reversed years of progress towards the milestone of ending TB. In 2021, the estimated global burden of new and recurrent TB cases is 10.6 million, an increase of 0.5 million compared to 2020. The death rate from TB and TB-HIV co-infection was 1.6 million, an increase of about 200,000 from pre-COVID-19 levels, WHO said in an official release.

The WHO South-East Asia Region has the highest burden of tuberculosis in the world. In 2021, the region accounts for more than 45% of global TB incidence and more than half of global TB deaths.

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Throughout the COVID-19 response, the region prioritized maintaining essential health services, including services for tuberculosis, but reported 2.6 million new and relapsed tuberculosis cases in 2020, a 24% decrease from 2019. In 2021, the region achieved a partial recovery, reporting 3 million new and relapsed cases, still 12% lower than in 2019.

According to official releases, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated key social and economic determinants of tuberculosis, including poverty and malnutrition, pushing tens of millions more people in the region into extreme poverty. Even before the pandemic, an estimated 30-80% of TB patients in the region faced catastrophic costs due to TB, and approximately 1 million new TB cases (more than one in five) each year were attributable to malnutrition. Across the region, it is estimated that the overall impact of the crisis could result in more than 7 million new TB cases and 1.5 million new TB deaths between 2022 and 2026.

Despite enormous and ongoing challenges, the region continues to intensify action to achieve the End TB milestones, in line with its flagship priorities and the Regional Strategic Plan to End TB 2021-25, as well as the Global End TB Strategy, the United Nations Political Declaration on Fighting Tuberculosis and Sustainable Development Goal 3.3

Preliminary data shared with WHO show a strong resurgence in reporting of TB cases in most countries in the region. In several high-burden countries, the total number of patients starting treatment in 2022 is expected to surpass that of 2019 and, in some cases, even reach all-time highs.

Cumulative budgetary allocations for TB programs in the Region amount to almost US$ 1.4 billion in 2022, almost 60% of which come from domestic resources.

Momentum must continue ahead of the second United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB, scheduled for September 2023, when Heads of State from around the world will gather to mobilize increased political and social commitment to ending TB and ensuring provide comprehensive and universal care to people.

To that end, the region has several priorities. First, strengthen senior leadership, engagement and advocacy to increase investment in ending TB. WHO estimates that the Region needs at least US$ 3 billion per year by 2025 to avert nearly 4.5 million new TB cases and prevent more than 1.5 million TB deaths.

Countries and partners must urgently and sustainably increase available funding and intensify investment, recognizing that for every dollar invested, $40 is returned.

To date, more than 5,000 molecular testing platforms have been installed in the region for timely diagnosis of TB and drug resistance. Such platforms must be scaled to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment and to stop the spread of disease. A new WHO-approved treatment plan has improved cure rates in just six to nine months and should be quickly adopted and implemented globally, according to an official WHO press release.

Additionally, mechanisms to support TB patients and their families to avoid catastrophic costs, supplement nutrition, and promote treatment adherence should be established and/or strengthened in the quest for TB eradication. Stigma and discrimination must continue to be addressed, including through community engagement and empowerment initiatives that promote high-quality information.

On World TB Day, WHO reaffirms its commitment to support all countries in the region to get back on track and turn the tide to end TB by 2030, leaving no country behind.

The health sector alone cannot end TB. Instead, ending TB requires dedicated multisectoral action, which should be coordinated by high-level national mechanisms, as highlighted at the 2021 Regional High-Level Meeting on Ending TB. Such a mechanism, developed by the seven countries, must define clear roles and responsibilities and should be accompanied by an accountability framework in line with WHO guidelines, the release added. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)