WHO Reports Resurgence in Tuberculosis Fight Despite Disease Remaining Among World's Top Killers

Pandemic disruption causes rise in Tuberculosis cases with record 7.5 million new diagnoses in 2022; WHO calls antibiotic-resistant TB a "public health crisis."

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's most devastating infectious diseases, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting approximately 1.3 million deaths due to TB in 2022. This figure underscores TB's longstanding status as one of the biggest killers in human history.
There was a record 7.5 million new TB diagnoses in 2022, representing the highest figure on record since the WHO began global monitoring for the disease approximately 30 years ago. The WHO attributes this record number to a backlog of people who developed TB in previous years but experienced delays in receiving treatment and diagnosis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The world faces the mounting challenge of antibiotic-resistant TB, which the WHO labels a burgeoning 'public health crisis.' An estimated 410,000 people developed multidrug-resistant TB or TB resistant to first-line treatment in 2022, yet only approximately two in five people with this form of TB had access to treatment.
Despite the TB pandemic's grim outlook, there are signs of hope and progress. The number of individuals diagnosed with and treated for TB has rebounded significantly, reversing the adverse impact Covid-19 had on the fight against TB. The upward trend in TB diagnoses and treatments is largely a consequence of leadership, innovation, and strategic partnership across the globe.
Countries such as India and Nigeria are demonstrating leadership in the fight against TB. India has significantly increased TB case notifications and aims to eradicate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target. Nigeria, meanwhile, has implemented innovative strategies, such as leveraging community health workers and accessible diagnostic tools for proactive disease intervention.