Opinion: Quality Tuberculosis care starts with people

The world is seeing tuberculosis (TB) deaths increase for the first time in over a decade, according to the  World Health Organization’s Global TB Report 2021. In 2020, 1.5 million people died of TB and the report estimates that almost 10 million people developed TB. Of these, only 5.8 million people were diagnosed and reported, increasing the gap of people missing TB diagnosis and treatment and risking further spread of the disease.

The trend is expected to worsen in 2021 and 2022, The New York Times noted, fuelled by COVID-19 outbreaks worsened by lack of access to vaccines in many low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with low political will and appallingly low levels of funding has reversed hard-fought gains in the fight against TB, an age-old disease. People and communities affected by TB have long deserved better and are voicing their needs loud and clear. We need quality TB care now more than ever before.

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