Celebrating the Wins Against This Bacterial Disease

With the high threat of tuberculosis (TB) around the world, the significant progress Africa has made in reducing infection rates and TB-related deaths is undoubtedly worth celebrating.

In all six African regions, there was a 42% drop in TB-related deaths, the biggest since 2015. The European region came second with a 38% drop. As for TB infections, Africa has made a 24% reduction while in Europe, it reached 27%.

Progress in treating patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been instrumental in curbing TB, as the deadly pulmonary infection is one of the most common opportunistic infections among HIV patients. Seventeen vaccine candidates are in development, and six are in phase III trials. Government support remains crucial to eradicating the infectious disease.