2023-05-08 19:26:02
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — UN and medical leaders are trying to combat an alarming rise in tuberculosis, which is now killing more people than COVID-19 or AIDS, but one problem is that many cases are in conflict zones such as Ukraine and Sudan, where it is difficult to reach the sick or make diagnoses.
Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease today, killing 4,400 people daily, including 700 children, Dr. Lucica Ditiu, executive director of the Stop TB Partnership, said Monday at an event ahead of a higher-level meeting. level to be held in September during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, which, like tuberculosis, is spread by particles in the air, “we didn’t see many cases of tuberculosis,” Ditiu said, “but following COVID we saw a type of tuberculosis like the one in the movies , in which people spit blood and feel very weak.
Ditiu stated that COVID and the conflicts — mainly in Ukraine, but now also in Sudan — are having “a huge impact” on efforts to treat people suffering from tuberculosis and diagnose new cases.
Ukraine has the highest number of people with tuberculosis in Europe (34,000) and also a high number of people with a type of the disease that is resistant to drugs, Ditiu said.
“It is remarkable that Ukrainians are showing amazing resilience by doing their best to maintain tuberculosis care services,” Ditiu said. “But obviously a lot of people have left the country.”
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