Recently, speaking on AFP, Mel Spigelman – Chairman of the Tuberculosis Alliance praised the rapid and impressive progress in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. A series of safe and effective vaccines, tests, and treatments have been developed in record time, just two years.
But it was also when the world saw the return of tuberculosis – the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
The world cares for Covid-19 but forgets the potential danger
According to the annual mortality rate reported by the Tuberculosis Alliance, TB can kill more than 4,100 people a day, four times more than the current 1,400 deaths from Covid-19 (figures in 28) latest date of Johns Hopkins University). Thus, as the number of deaths from Covid-19 globally decreases gradually, TB is a major health risk.
However, unlike Covid-19, although the trend has gradually cooled down, even weakened, the world is still interested. In contrast, TB treatment has become a huge gap in the medical industry.
As can be seen, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on efforts to combat TB. Many TB treatment hospitals have been requisitioned to take care of people with Covid-19. The closure of some facilities makes it impossible for patients to access needed medical services. As a result, the number of TB deaths in 2020 increased for the first time in a decade.
“We’ve gone from making very slow progress to going backwards” Dr. Spigelman said.
Billions of dollars are invested in the fight against Covid-19. However, the global economic crisis, rising geopolitical tensions caused the donors of the fight against tuberculosis to tighten their spending. Most of the units that support the Lao Coalition cannot commit to funding for more than a year, they always cut the amount offered. Even familiar donors from the UK said no to the disease this year.
The theme of World TB Day 2022 globally is “Invest resources to end TB and save lives – Photo: PAHO
“I am very worried that the progress that has been made, which has been eroded by Covid-19, may even be eroded further” Mr. Spigelman said.
The disease of the poor
The death rate from TB is increasing as the world faces a revolution in the treatment of drug-resistant TB.
About 5% of the 9.5 million people who get TB each year do not respond to commonly prescribed antibiotics. This makes treatment very difficult.
Patients are forced to take 5-8 pills per day. They also usually require daily injections, which last up to 2 years. Accompanied by terrible side effects, the cure rate is only about 20-30%.
The world desperately needs resources to deploy the new regimen to the patients who need it. But with tuberculosis, resources are always in short supply.
Mr. Spigelman attributed the lack of urgency to the eradication of TB because it was seen as a “poor man’s disease”. “If rich people around the world got TB, I think we would see a very different response” he said.
A TB patient receives oxygen in India – Photo: AP
Currently, candidate vaccines against tuberculosis are gradually falling out. The projects don’t have the funds for further development, and there’s no attempt to launch trials as easily as a Covid-19 vaccine.
That’s why, Mr. Spigelman warned, the scenario that should have happened is very far away: If the resources poured into Covid-19 are appropriately invested in tuberculosis, the disease could be completely wiped out.
“If there are enough resources, I bet you it can be destroyed” he insisted.
On the WHO side, the organization believes that the massive investment in COVID-19 research, providing safe and effective vaccines and treatments, can be an inspiration for the fight against TB. Therefore, the organization emphasizes the urgent need for investment to develop and expand access to services, as well as innovative new tools to prevent, detect and treat TB, especially TB cells developing new vaccines against tuberculosis. According to WHO, this can save millions of lives every year, as well as narrow inequalities and significantly reduce economic damage.
Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Global Tuberculosis Program, said that the BCG vaccine against TB is centuries old. Therefore, a new vaccine will play an important role. There are currently nine potential vaccines under research and development, and another mRNA vaccine is under development.
Ms. Kasaeva added that there is growing interest in developing a TB vaccine, and if the investment is right and timely, it is likely that at least one vaccine will be available before 2025, she also emphasized that the world currently needs about 1.1 billion USD more for research and development of methods of TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Source: CafeBiz
Source: Vietnam Insider