Tuberculosis deaths rising again in Europe: WHO

COPENHAGEN: The number of tuberculosis deaths in Europe is on the rise again after declining for almost two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.

TB killed 27,300 Europeans in 2021 compared to 27,000 a year earlier, according to the latest data available. WHO attributed the rise to the Covid-19 pandemic, citing lockdowns, diverted medical resources and delayed diagnoses, as well as the spread of a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.

This was the first time in 20 years the downward trend was broken, the WHO Europe said. Russia and Ukraine were the two most affected countries, with around 4,900 and 3,600 deaths respectively.