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Today is a significant day as the world observes World Tuberculosis Day.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has called on countries in the Caribbean and other parts of the Americas to intensify their efforts to fight against tuberculosis, a curable and preventable disease.
In a statement released on Friday, PAHO disclosed that Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent globally, second only to COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report, in 2023, about 325,000 people in the Americas were affected by TB, and 35,000 people died from the disease.
These figures represent an increase of 14 percent and 41 percent, respectively, compared to 2015, which PAHO states is due to the pandemic. Additionally, PAHO revealed that an estimated 83,000 individuals went undiagnosed and untreated for TB.
PAHO Director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, called for countries in the Americas to double their efforts and work towards a future where TB is no longer a public health threat.
He noted that countries in the Americas have committed to TB elimination and highlighted the advancements that could help achieve this goal by 2030, including AI-assisted radiography, rapid molecular tests, and shorter treatments.
Dr Barbosa also stressed the importance of increasing investments, multisectoral collaboration, and adopting the latest WHO recommendations to reverse the trend of increasing TB cases.
PAHO revealed that the burden of TB varies significantly among countries in the region. 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, particularly in the Caribbean region, and some are close to reaching the threshold for disease elimination.
Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, Director of PAHO’s Department for the Prevention, Control, and Elimination of Communicable Diseases, said that despite the pandemic’s strong impact and significant heterogeneity in incidence, the Americas are well-positioned to become the first region globally to eliminate TB.
He emphasized that PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, which was relaunched in September 2023 and addresses TB, is vital to achieving this goal.
PAHO collaborates with countries in the Americas to end TB and ensure equitable access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services.
To mark World Tuberculosis Day, PAHO 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.
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