Tuberculosis on the rise: Covid-19 has taken us back to the dark ages

Going by the World Health Organization’s 2021 Global TB report, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of development in the fight against tuberculosis, and for the first time in almost a decade, TB mortality has soared. As per WHO estimates, in 2020, 1.5 million individuals died from tuberculosis.

According to National Health Service (NHS), UK, tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that is transmitted by inhaling small droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze. While it mainly affects the lungs, it can also affect other parts of the body such as the stomach (abdomen), glands, bones, and the nervous system. Although tuberculosis is a potentially fatal infection, it can be healed with the correct medications.

The report found that the primary issue is a break in the access to TB services as well as the lack of resources. There has been a significant shift of resources from the fight against tuberculosis to the Covid-19 crisis.

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