Devex: 1.8M people could die from tuberculosis in 2020: WHO
“Last month, global deaths from the coronavirus pandemic reached over 1 million. Disruptions caused by the pandemic could also lead to more deaths from other diseases, such as tuberculosis. An estimated 1.8 million people could die from tuberculosis in 2020 — numbers last seen in 2012, according to the World Health Organization’s latest global TB report. The numbers were based on WHO’s modeling in which it estimated an additional 200,000 to 400,000 TB deaths in 2020 if the number of people with TB detected and treated falls by 25% to 50% over a three-month period. An estimated 1.4 million people died from TB-related illnesses in 2019…” (Ravelo, 10/14).

A statement on the new report is available from WHO.