In 2024, 51 countries in the region reported 161,569 new and recurrent cases of tuberculosis, which is only 79% of the estimated number of cases. WHO estimates that the actual number of cases reaches around 204,000. A key issue continues to be the low level of diagnosis: people who do not receive timely diagnoses may continue to infect others and face more severe forms of the disease.
The European region also bears a disproportionately high share of the global burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In 2024, 26,845 cases with resistance to rifampicin or several other drugs were confirmed.
Statistics show that the rates of multidrug-resistant cases in Europe significantly exceed the global average: 23% of new cases in the region are resistant (while the global figure is only 3.2%). Among patients who have previously undergone treatment, resistance is observed in 51% of cases, which is three times higher than the global average (16%). This makes the region one of the most problematic on the global stage.
“One in five cases of tuberculosis in our region goes unnoticed, which is not only a failure in diagnosis but also a missed opportunity to prevent suffering and further transmission of the infection,” noted Hans Kluge, Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. He added that it is necessary to accelerate diagnosis, switch to more effective treatment regimens, and strengthen monitoring to get countries back on track to achieve their set goals.
The photo on the main page is illustrative: yamal-media.ru.
