Seven million people were diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis in 2018 — a more than 9% increase from 2017 and a step toward meeting one of the milestones in the UN plan to end the global tuberculosis epidemic, WHO reported.
Despite this, underfunding and lack of access to care are still putting at-risk populations in jeopardy, WHO said.
According to the report, more people than ever received TB treatment in 2018. WHO also reported that TB deaths decreased from 1.6 million in 2017 to 1.5 million in 2018.
A U.N. political declaration made last year includes a goal to treat 40 million people with TB during the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022.
