One of the deadliest diseases in the world is back on top.
TBis caused byMycobacterium tuberculosis.
Acute cases of TB usually result in respiratory symptoms like chest pains, chills, and coughing up blood.
An illustration of tuberculosis bacteria© Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty
People withHIVare especially vulnerable to TB, since theyre much more likely to develop an acute, life-threatening case.
TBs death toll in 2023 was enough to supplant that of any other single infectious disease.
That said, the numbers are a slight improvement over 2022, which saw 1.32 million TB-related deaths.
And there have been some other positive trends as of late.
Overall, the global efforts to control and prevent TB are well behind the targets recommended by the WHO.
And research into interventions like improved drugs and vaccines for TB is critically underfunded.
So much more will need to be done to curtail this major killer.
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