COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AN) – Increasing cases of childhood and drug-resistant tuberculosis are a growing concern on two continents as international funding cuts jeopardize control efforts worldwide.
Children in 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia experienced "a worrying 10% surge" in year-to-year pediatric tuberculosis infections as of 2023, the European Union's agency for fighting infectious diseases and the World Health Organization's European branch reported on Monday.
The spike in tuberculosis, or TB, the world’s deadliest infectious disease, comes as health officials warn that global cuts in aid for international organizations due to the Trump administration slashing at least $54 billion in U.S. foreign assistance could lead to a resurgence of TB worldwide.
Tuberculosis, caused by bacteria spread in the air when an infectious person sneezes or coughs, has been infecting people for thousands of years. It attacks the lungs, presenting symptoms such as persistent cough, chest pain, fever, night sweats, and weakness, and can be fatal without proper treatment.
At the start of the 19th century, TB, then known as "consumption," killed 1-in-7 people in Europe and the United States. It now claims the lives of over 1 million people annually and impacts millions more.
Antibiotics and public health efforts helped treat infections and trace cases, but the microorganisms they were designed to fight have become drug resistant – giving rise to the need for treatment with multi-drug combinations over several months.
"The rise of drug-resistant TB means that the cost of inaction today will be paid by us all tomorrow," said Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the E.U.'s European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The new data published by ECDC and WHO's European office show the number of people diagnosed and treated for TB began to rise again after an unprecedented drop in 2020 due to COVID-19-related disruptions. More than 172,000 people had new or relapsed cases of TB in 2023, similar to 2022, but the toll on children younger than 15 rose for the third consecutive year.
About 7,500 TB cases were reported among children under 15, a yearly increase of almost 10% – and more than 2,400 of the cases were among children under the age of 5 who are at higher risk of serious illness and death. In the 30 E.U. or European Economic Area countries, nearly 37,000 people were diagnosed with TB in 2023, up from 35,000 a year earlier.
In the United States, more than 10,300 TB cases were reported last year, rising 8% from 2023 and to the highest levels since 2011. The data this month from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which blamed international travel and migration, showed the number of cases and rate of infections rose among all age groups, with 34 states reporting an increase.
Despite these concerning figures, officials say, global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000. But with drastic cuts in international funding for TB programs, that progress may come to a halt. The U.S. cutbacks are expected to have devastating impacts on TB response efforts in at least 18 high-burden countries – particularly in Africa – where 89% of expected U.S. funding was allocated for patient care.
One of the targets under the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 aims to reduce TB deaths by 90%, and TB incidence by 80%, compared to 2015 levels. But current funding gaps and rising drug resistance threaten the achievement of these targets.
“Even before the recent cuts to international development aid, the world was facing an $11 billion shortfall in the global TB response,” warned Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO's European director.
“These cuts are now jeopardizing vital TB programs, particularly in non-E.U. countries, and may reverse the hard-won progress," he said. “Ending TB is not a dream. It’s a choice.”
