WASHINGTON, USA, (PAHO) – In the Region of the Americas, cases of tuberculosis (TB) have increased 20 percent over the past decade, and deaths have also shown an upward trend. On World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated each year on 24 March, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa has called on countries of the region to urgently harness the power of new advances in technology and innovation to help reverse this trend.
Tuberculosis is one of the most deadly infectious disease in the Americas, where 900 people are diagnosed with each day and 100 people lose their lives. While progress has been made towards tackling the disease, the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities, has led to a reversing trend in the Region
In the Americas, TB is particularly rife among vulnerable populations, including Indigenous Peoples, those with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems, migrants, the homeless, and persons deprived of liberty, which is an increasing issue in the Region: While there are significant variations from country-to-country, in some countries the percentage of TB cases attributed to persons deprived of liberty reaches as high as 57 percent. This is primarily due to fast-growing prison populations across the region and increasingly overcrowded conditions.
“The consequences of TB in prison inmates extend far beyond the prison setting,” said Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, director of the department for the prevention, control and elimination of communicable diseases at PAHO. “Recent studies show that in Latin America, approximately one-third of all TB cases are related to incarceration. Addressing TB in prisons is therefore critical to protecting the health of people deprived of their liberty and accelerating progress toward elimination in the general population.”
For Dr Barbosa, “while the situation is serious, there are reasons to be optimistic. We have technologies and innovations that can help us reverse this trend,” he said.
This includes AI-assisted radiography for active case finding within communities, which has enabled countries to expand early diagnosis, particularly in hard-to-reach areas and among vulnerable populations. In Peru, the implementation of this technology in prisons led to a more than threefold increase in detection. This is crucial as diagnosis in the early stages of the disease significantly reduces the risk of community transition.
PAHO also recommends the use of rapid molecular testing, which enables healthcare workers to quickly detect the disease at the primary healthcare level, as well as shorter oral treatments, which can be accompanied by telehealth visits and community support to minimize the economic burden faced by people with TB and their households, overcome access barriers, and improve treatment adherence..
During the high-level meeting on TB at the United Nations General Assembly in 2023, world leaders committed to accelerating efforts to end TB, but “now is the time to take action and move decisively toward the elimination targets,” said the PAHO director.
“We will continue to work together with governments, civil society, and strategic partners to intensify leadership, investment, innovation, and multi-sector collaboration that puts people at the center of our efforts,” he concluded.
World TB Day
World TB Day is observed each year on 24 March to amplify the urgency of ending tuberculosis, which continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences.
This year’s theme ‘Yes! We can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver- is a call on countries to translate commitment into action by urgently implementing World Health Organization/PAHO actions to end TB, strengthening national strategies and ensuring sufficient financing to close gaps in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
Tuberculosis is one of the 30 communicable diseases and related conditions targeted by PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative.
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