Tuberculosis to kill 1.2 million people in 2024, Bangladesh among top countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that tuberculosis (TB), the world's deadliest infectious disease, killed 1.23 million people last year. The organization's recently released annual report said that compared to 2023, the number of deaths from tuberculosis decreased by 3 percent in 2024 and new infections decreased by 2 percent. The organization warned that the progress made against the disease is still fragile.

According to WHO data, an estimated 17 million people worldwide were infected with tuberculosis in 2024. Of these, 5.8 million were men, 3.7 million were women and 1.2 million were children. Although it is a preventable and curable disease, the disease still poses a major threat to global health.

“For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, both TB infections and deaths are declining, but the gains are at risk due to funding shortfalls and new risks,” said Teresa Kasaeva, the organization’s head of tuberculosis and infectious diseases.

The report said $5.9 billion was spent on TB prevention, detection and treatment in 2024, far below the $22 billion target for 2027. Just eight countries—India, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—account for two-thirds of all TB cases worldwide. The main drivers of the increase in infections include malnutrition, HIV infection, diabetes, smoking and alcohol abuse.

A record 8.3 million people were newly diagnosed and treated in 2024, raising the treatment success rate to 71 percent. Since 2000, 83 million people have been cured of TB, according to WHO.

"Reducing the burden of tuberculosis and improving treatment services are undoubtedly positive developments, but the fact that more than a million people still die every year is a reflection of our humanitarian failure," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.