The disruption of health services by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the number of deaths from tuberculosis in Africa, the first in more than a decade, as the decrease the number of new cases is slower than in the past, according to an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The African Region has made progress against tuberculosis, reducing the number of cases by 19% between 2015 and 2020, the WHO reports in a statement released Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

Nevertheless, the Region reported 549,000 deaths in 2020, which represents an increase of around 2,000 deaths in 2019. In addition, while the number of cases was slightly reduced by 2.5% in 2020 compared to 1, 4 million cases in the previous year, notification of new infections fell sharply in countries heavily affected by the disease, particularly in Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe, all of which face high incidence of COVID- 19.

The reallocation of resources and health personnel to the fight against COVID-19 in many African countries, as well as drastic response measures to the pandemic such as lockdowns, have sharply reduced access to essential health services, including those related to the detection and treatment of tuberculosis. The African Region is home to 17 of the 30 countries most affected by tuberculosis in the world and the trend observed in the Region follows an increase in tuberculosis cases worldwide due to the effects of COVID-19.

“The pandemic threatens progress against tuberculosis,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti. “Times are tough and efforts are focused primarily on the fight against COVID-19, but African governments must redouble their efforts now to reorganize essential health services and expand access to these services,” he said. she said.

WHO monitors progress in tuberculosis control based on the Global Strategy to End Tuberculosis, which aims to reduce tuberculosis deaths by 90% and the number of cases of infection by 80%. this disease by 2030 compared to 2015. The strategy defines the key intermediate objectives set for countries in 2020 and those to be achieved by 2025.

The interim target set for 2020 was to reduce the number of deaths from tuberculosis by 35% and the incidence of this disease by 20%.

“To bring this preventable and curable disease under control, resources must match the political will. We need to increase investment in diagnostics and treatment to get us back on track, ”said Dr Moeti

SOURCE: AGENCE IVOIRIENNE DE PRESSE