Tuberculosis deaths have increased by 14 percent worldwide Tuberculosis deaths have risen by 14 percent worldwide

The number of tuberculosis deaths worldwide has risen by 14 percent in two years. By 2021, an estimated 1.6 million people will have died from the disease.

There were 1.4 million deaths in 2019, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published in Geneva on Thursday. The increase represents a trend reversal as the number of deaths decreased between 2005 and 2019.

The cause of the increase is the corona pandemic, according to the WHO. This had an enormous impact on the diagnosis and treatment options for tuberculosis.

Four countries were responsible for the highest number of deaths: India, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. In total, an estimated 10.6 million people will be diagnosed with tuberculosis by 2021. This corresponds to an increase of 4.5 percent within one year.

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually infect the lungs. Like the coronavirus, the disease is transmitted through the air, for example through coughing. During the corona pandemic, tuberculosis was replaced by Covid-19 as the most common infectious cause of death worldwide. (sda/afp)