TB remains a major health threat in Europe despite progress - WHO Report
World Health Organization European Region and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control show in a new report that 204,000 people fell ill with TB in 2024, which is equal to 22 cases per 100,000 population. In the same year, 161,569 newly diagnosed TB cases were reported across 51 countries. This represents 79% of the estimated new and relapse cases.
Out of all reported cases, 151,933 patients, representing 82%, had pulmonary TB. Among these, 69% were confirmed through laboratory testing, while 92% of confirmed pulmonary TB cases were tested for rifampicin resistance. 28% of pulmonary TB patients tested for drug susceptibility had rifampicin-resistant or multidrug-resistant TB (RR/MDR-TB). The burden is even higher among previously treated patients, where 48% had RR/MDR-TB, compared to 21% among new cases. 28% of RR/MDR-TB cases had pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR-TB). Among those tested further, 15% had extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). Overall, an estimated 55,000 people developed RR/MDR-TB in 2024.
93% of TB patients were tested for HIV, with 16,307 cases found to be HIV-positive, representing 14% of those tested. Out of these, 13,243 patients, or 84%, received antiretroviral therapy (ART). 74% of new TB cases were successfully treated, while the
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A new WHO report indicates that tuberculosis remains a major health threat in Europe. The report highlights a worrying rise in drug-resistant TB - and experts warn that the region is not on track to meet global targets.
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