Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that mainly affects an individual’s lungs and spreads when people with the infection cough or sneeze and release tiny droplets into the air. People in the surroundings inhale these droplets and they contract the same infection. Although the disease affects the lungs the most, in some rare cases the infection can affect the bones, glands or even the nervous system, causing severe symptoms that include fever, fatigue and a long-term cough that may be bloody. The World Health Organization (WHO) has implemented strategies to eradicate tuberculosis across the globe in order to reduce preventable deaths.

Being the world’s leading infectious disease, impacting a quarter of the population, TB claimed the lives of more than 1.6 million people in 2021, according to WHO. Even though TB is present in all countries and in all age groups, it is curable and preventable.

Understanding TB: Most Affected Countries and Why?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia are most susceptible to TB. There are many reasons why some countries have higher rated of TB infections than others:

• Weak Health Systems: Low-income and middle-income countries have a lower standard of medical care due to a lack of funds, resources and availability of medical professionals, which leads to fewer clinics and hospitals where individuals can get tests or treatments for TB.
• Poverty: Low funds in underdeveloped countries and an increased financial burden on individuals mean people often have to make the decision between buying food or life-saving medications. Additionally, due to a lack of sufficient funds, people tend to live together in cramped quarters, making it easier for the disease to spread to the residents.
• Diseases: Pre-existing diseases such as HIV, diabetes, malnutrition and the frequent use of tobacco can make individuals more susceptible to TB, according to the WHO.

These factors combined make it extremely difficult to screen for TB in low-income countries and most people do not have access to medical facilities, and those who do, are unable to use them because they cannot afford to.

The Fight Against TB

There have been many strategies to eradicate TB in LMCs and one of the most recent and most impactful has been the WHO’s End TB Strategy “to reduce TB incidence by 50% and mortality by 75% by 2025,” according to The Lancet Global Health. Through a multi-step initiative, WHO aims to eradicate TB by 2035.

• Vaccination at Birth: The first step toward ending TB is through immunizing children against the disease from birth. In 2018, after extensive research WHO established a new criterion for vaccination against TB which stated, “For infants, a vaccine should be either better than BCG or at least 80% effective in preventing TB.”
• Vaccination for Children and Teens: As part of a trial, routine vaccination was implemented for children who were 9 years old, and a one-time vaccination was implemented for children more than 10 years old. This trial lasted five years and the results revealed that both routine vaccination and a one-time vaccination were effective against the disease, but the routine vaccinations had a higher success rate.
• Vaccination for Adults: A newly-developed vaccine known medically as the M72/AS01 vaccine has been 49.7% efficient in preventing the progression of TB.

Looking Ahead

In the fight against tuberculosis, significant strides have been made through initiatives like the WHO’s End TB Strategy. Vaccination efforts targeting children and teens have proven effective, while a newly-developed vaccine for adults shows promise in preventing the progression of TB. These advancements offer hope in reducing the incidence and mortality rates of this infectious disease, bringing us closer to a world free from the burden of tuberculosis.

– Vahisté Sinor
Photo: Flickr