COVID-19 Is No Longer the Leading Cause of Death Among Infectious Diseases

 

The coronavirus remains a key topic in discussions around infectious diseases, yet it is no longer the leading cause of death among them. Instead, tuberculosis (TB) has reclaimed its position as the world’s deadliest infectious disease. According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, 10.8 million people were affected by TB last year, with 8.2 million newly diagnosed. Tragically, around 1.25 million people lost their lives to TB in the same period.

COVID-19 deaths, meanwhile, have significantly declined due to vaccinations and treatments, although the virus still claimed 320,000 lives last year. The increase in TB cases has, in part, been attributed to the disruptions in healthcare services caused by the pandemic, which hampered TB treatment and prevention efforts worldwide. There is also a strain of TB resistant to multiple drugs, further complicating the fight against the disease. Funding for TB prevention and research has also fallen short, reaching only 20% of the targeted amount in 2022, as reported by the WHO.

TB is a bacterial infection of the lungs that spreads primarily through the air. While many TB infections are asymptomatic and not contagious, active TB—which includes symptoms like coughing, fever, loss of appetite, and weight loss—can be highly infectious and potentially fatal if left untreated.

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