The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Pakistan as one of the top five high-burden countries where tuberculosis (TB) cases reached record high in 2023, media reported on Wednesday.
According to the global health body, the country — alongside India, Indonesia, China and the Philippines — accounted for over half of 10.8 million cases of the disease worldwide, shedding light on an ongoing public health challenge despite the availability of treatment and prevention tools.
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The WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 stated that the newly diagnosed TB cases rose to 8.2 million in 2023, up from 7.5 million in 2022 — highest number since global monitoring began in 1995.
TB claimed 1.25 million lives, making it the leading infectious disease killer in 2023 and surpassing COVID-19.
“TB remains a global health threat, particularly in high-burden countries like Pakistan,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We urge all nations to fulfil commitments to expand tools for TB prevention, detection, and treatment to end TB once and for all,” DG said.
While TB-related deaths saw a modest decrease — down from 1.32 million in 2022, the disease continues to spread rapidly in resource-constrained settings, with high undernutrition, diabetes, smoking and HIV infection acting as major risk factors. Nearly 56% of global TB burden in 2023 was concentrated in Pakistan and its neighbouring high-burden countries.
