Tuberculosis is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. In 2016, 2.5 million people contracted this epidemic in Africa, or a quarter of new cases of tuberculosis worldwide, according to the WHO.

World leaders attending a high-level meeting on tuberculosis this month endorsed a Political Declaration with ambitious new goals for the next five years to end the epidemic.

It is a large-scale plan: it aims to reach 90% of people benefiting from tuberculosis prevention and care services, using a rapid test recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first method of diagnosis of the disease.

It also intends to provide social benefits to all people suffering from tuberculosis and ensure the approval of at least one new vaccine against the disease.

For the WHO, despite global efforts to combat tuberculosis, they have not achieved their goal. Only 34 million of the 40 million people with tuberculosis received treatment between 2018 and 2022.

Furthermore, the WHO notes that the financing of tuberculosis control services in low- and middle-income countries shows a funding gap of 50% compared to the sums required for the implementation of tuberculosis control programs.

The high-level meeting also addressed the adequacy of health systems for the response to this epidemic. Dennis Francis, President of the United Nations General Assembly, spoke about efforts towards universal health coverage. He recalled how equitable access to the benefits of research is also fundamental, regardless of the financial capabilities of the beneficiaries.

Tuberculosis is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. In 2016, 2.5 million people contracted this epidemic in Africa, or a quarter of new cases of tuberculosis worldwide, according to the WHO.

More than 25% of deaths from tuberculosis occur in Africa. According to WHO estimates, 417,000 people died from this disease in the African region (1.7 million worldwide) in 2016.
www.un.org