WHO warns of an increase in tuberculosis cases in Europe

The number of deaths from tuberculosis in Europe is rising again after falling for almost two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned last Friday. In 2021, 27,300 Europeans died from the diseasecompared to 27,000 the previous year, according to the latest available data.

The OMS attributed the increase to the Covid-19 pandemic, citing lockouts, diverting medical resources and delayed diagnoses, as well as the spread of a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. It was the first time in 20 years that the downward trend was broken, according to the WHO Europe.

“It is very likely that the increase in tuberculosis deaths that we are seeing in 2021 is consequence of delay or lack of diagnosis of the disease due to the interruption of tuberculosis services during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to greater severity of the disease and an associated increase in deaths,” the organization noted.

Russia and Ukraine were the two most affected countries, with some 4,900 and 3,600 deaths respectively. In the 53 countries that make up the WHO European region, which includes countries in Central Asia, some 230,000 people contracted tuberculosis, a number that continued to decline compared to previous years.

The tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other organs in the body, such as the kidneys, spine, and brain.

It is transmitted through the air by infected people, for example when coughing. Also, it is possible to get tuberculosis by sharing eating or drinking utensils with an infected person, although this is less common.

Many of the new cases of tuberculosis are attributed to five risk factors: malnutrition, HIV infectionalcohol use disorders, smoking and diabetes.

It can be prevented and cured. It is estimated that 1/3 of the world population is infected with this bacillus, all of them asymptomatic, but only 10 percent of them will develop the disease. Symptoms may present as a severe cough that lasts 2 weeks or more, chest pain, coughing up blood or sputum (discharge), fever, weakness or fatigue, night sweats. These symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the infection.

exist various ways to diagnose tuberculosiss. The most common test to diagnose tuberculosis is the tuberculin skin test, also known as the skin test or the Mantoux test.

For this test, a small amount of protein from the tuberculosis bacteria is injected under the skin of the forearm. If the skin reacts within 48 to 72 hours, the test is positive. Apart from this the disease can be Diagnose by chest X-ray a sputum test or a tissue biopsy, to detect tuberculosis in parts of the body other than the lungs.

The World Health Organization urged the countries of the European region to increase your efforts in order to achieve the goal of ending the tuberculosis epidemic in the continent by 2030.

The director general of WHO-Europe, Hans Kluge, iurged to benefit from new technologies such as rapid molecule diagnostics, driving better and shorter prevention, treatment and care regimens; and resort to innovative digital solutions.

“We have the scientific and medical tools to make up lost ground, but we urgently need stronger collaborations between states, agencies and communities if we are to reach every person with tuberculosis to give them the care they need”Kluge said in a statement.