The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Tuesday for countries to step up action to end tuberculosis (TB) one of the worlds deadliest infectious killers by expanding access to new diagnostic tools that can help save lives.
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TB is caused by bacteria that most oftenaffectsthe lungs.Every day, over 3,300 people die from the disease,with Southeast Asia accounting fornearly 40 per cent of deaths. Yetit isbothpreventable and treatable,including byusingthe antibioticrifampicin.
WHOhasissuednew guidelinesontesting, recommending that countriesdeployinnovations such as new near-point-of-care molecular diagnostic tests and tongue swabs, both of which can help with faster detection.
Fastandaccuratediagnosis
The tests cost half the price ofthose currently available,operateon batterypowerand deliver results in less than an hour, meaning that treatment can begin sooner.
Tongue swabs allow adults and young people who cannot produce sputum to receive TB testing for the first time.Specimens can thereforebe easily collected, thus enabling detection among people who are at an increased risk of dying from the disease.
These new tools could be truly transformative for tuberculosis, by bringing fast,accuratediagnosis closerto people, saving lives, curbingtransmissionand reducing costs,saidWHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Beyond TB,they alsohave the potential totest forother diseasessuch asHIV, mpox, and HPV(human papillomavirus).
The guidelines also recommendasputum pooling strategyin which samples from several individuals are mixed and testedtogetheranapproachthatcan improvetesting efficiency and significantly reduce costs, particularly when resources are constrained.
Global health fundingslashed
WHO noted thatalthough global efforts to combat TB have savedroughly 83million lives since the year 2000, funding cuts are putting these gains at risk.
Uptake of rapid diagnostic tools has been a challenge in many countries dueto factors such ashigh costsand reliance on sample transport to support testing at centralized laboratories.
Although thenewtechnologiesrepresenta critical step forward,the UN agency saidending TB will require sustained investment in research and innovationat a time when global funding for researchremainsfar below the estimated$5 billionneeded annually.
We can end TB
The new guidelines were issued onWorld TB Daywhich is being celebratedunder the themeYes! We can end TB.
WHOurgedgovernmentstoaccelerateroll out of the new diagnostic tools,strengthen people-centredTBcareandbuild resilient health systems.
They are also encouraged totackle the social and economic drivers of thedisease, andprotect essential TB services amid global crises and funding constraints.
Every dollar spentcombating TBgenerates up to $43 in health and economic returns, according to Dr. TerezaKasaeva, Director of WHOs Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
What is required now isdecisive leadership, strategic investment and rapid implementationof WHO recommendations and innovations to save lives and protect communities,she said.
