Experts are worried about tuberculosis again
The deadly disease regained its crown as the world's biggest infectious killer in October 2022
Tuberculosis, commonly abbreviated as TB, may be on its way to becoming a global crisis, according to the United Nations. The deadly disease once again claimed its spot as the number one infectious killer globally in October of 2022, overtaking Covid-19, AFP reported. While progress was being made against the disease, the arrival of Covid in 2020 was a setback that caused cases to swell for the first time in a decade. “We went from what I honestly consider to be unbelievably slow progress, but at least progress, to a reversal," Mel Spigelman, president of the non-profit TB Alliance, told AFP in 2022.
TB is a highly contagious disease that“knows no borders,” Dr. Lucica Ditiu, executive director of the U.N.-hosted organization Stop TB Partnership, told Time. “So long as you breathe, you can still catch TB.” While antibiotics were developed to fight the disease, new strains of drug-resistant TB have evolved, causing higher rates of mortality. Approximately 3.6% of today’s new tuberculosis cases are resistant to multiple TB drugs. “There’s no biological reason that multi-drug-resistant TB can't acquire what it takes to transmit easily,” David Bishai, the director of the school of public health at the University of Hong Kong, told Time. “And so this does represent a pandemic threat.”
To fight the new strains, pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson developed a drug called bedaquiline that is effective against drug-resistant TB. The company also opted to not enforce secondary patents on the drug, allowing “current and future generic manufacturers” the ability to “manufacture and sell high-quality generic versions,” as long as the generic versions are “of good quality, medically acceptable,” and are only used in 134 specific low and middle-income countries, according to a J&J press release.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Italian senate passes law allowing anti-abortion activists into clinics
Under The Radar Giorgia Meloni scores a political 'victory' but will it make much difference in practice?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine interactive crossword - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pros and cons of universal health care
Pros and Cons A medical system that serves everyone comes with its own costs, and they're not only financial
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's health
In the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Lead poisoning remains a threat
The Explainer The toxin is built into our lives
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How women's pain is often ignored in health care
the explainer The gap in care is especially glaring compared to how men are treated
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The best health care systems in the world
In the spotlight Getting sick has never felt better
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published