There is an increase in tuberculosis deaths in Africa due to Covid-19 disruption to health services, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a new report.
Africa, according to the report, recorded 549,000 deaths in 2020, an increase of around 2,000 over 2019.
The WHO noted that African is home to 17 of the 30 countries that have the highest burden of tuberculosis globally.
The global health body also noted that redeployment of health workforce and resources to tackle Covid-19 in many African countries as well as drastic pandemic response measures such as lockdowns greatly reduced access to key health services, including tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment.
‘The pandemic has put progress against tuberculosis on the line’, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said in a statement.
‘Although times are hard and efforts strained by the race to overcome Covid-19, African governments must work harder now to revamp and improve access to essential health services’.
Data from the WHO shows patients and their households can face severe direct and indirect financial and economic costs that pose barriers that can greatly affect their access to diagnosis and treatment.
The WHO noted that tuberculosis is the leading killer of people with HIV and the African region currently has the highest burden of HIV-associated tuberculosis.
The apex global health body said insufficient funding for programmes, limited access to modern diagnostic tools as well as low implementation of preventive treatment are factors that hinder progress against the disease.
‘Reining in this preventable, curable disease calls for matching resources to political will’, Dr Moeti said.
‘We need to increase investment in diagnosis and treatment to get back on track’.
Despite the challenges, WHO reported progress on other key indicators for the disease in Africa.
In Burundi, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Sierra Leone, 100 percent of HIV-positive tuberculosis patients were reported as having started or continued antiretroviral treatment while being treated for tuberculosis.
WHO also reported most African countries have met or exceeded the goal of providing at least 90 percent of HIV-positive tuberculosis patients with antiretroviral treatment during their treatment for tuberculosis.
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania also surpassed 90 percent treatment success rate for new and relapse cases.
The WHO called for collaborative efforts involving the health sector, government bodies, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and communities to address factors such as poor living and working conditions as well as risk factors to drive down the tuberculosis epidemic.
Source: WHO
Photo source: WHO
