GENEVA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Though more people worldwide received life-saving treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in 2018 than ever before, reaching a record high of 7 million, severe under-funding and lack of access to care are still jeopardizing an at-risk population of 3 million, a latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
According to the annual WHO TB report, largely thanks to improved detection and diagnosis, globally some 7 million people were diagnosed and treated for TB in 2018, up from 6.4 million in 2017, enabling the world to meet one of the milestones towards the United Nations political declaration targets on TB.
The Global TB Strategy, approved at the WHO World Health Assembly, aims for a 90-percent reduction in TB deaths and an 80-percent reduction in TB incidence rate by 2030 over 2015 levels. Milestones are set for 2020 for a 35-percent reduction in TB deaths and a 20-percent reduction in TB incidence rate from 2015.
In addition to the record high of treated population, 2018 also saw a reduction in the number of TB deaths, the report said, citing a drop of death cases from 1.6 million in 2017 to 1.5 million in 2018.
However, the report also warned that to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ending TB by 2030, progress needs to accelerate as an estimated 3 million people with TB over the world still are not getting the care they need, due to severe under-funding and lack of access to care.
"Sustained progress on TB will require strong health systems and better access to services. That means a renewed investment in primary health care and a commitment to universal health coverage (UHC)," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Though heads of state have agreed on a political declaration on the UHC at the United Nations in New York last month, the reality is that the fight against TB remains chronically underfunded, the shortfall of which in 2019 have accumulated to 3.3 billion U.S. dollars, according to WHO estimates.
There is an urgent need for funding of TB research and development, with an annual shortfall of 1.2 billion dollars, the WHO said, adding that priority needs include a new vaccine or effective preventive drug treatment; rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests; and safer, simpler, shorter drug regimens to treat TB.
