World Tuberculosis Day is on March 24: an opportunity to reflect and raise awareness about the devastating global impacts of tuberculosis (TB).
According to the World Health Organization, Ukraine is among the top countries with the highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis. As the current war escalates in Ukraine, we must consider the devastating impacts of war on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for people with TB.
Before COVID-19, TB was the world’s leading infectious disease killer. The disease causes around 1.4 million deaths globally each year, and 95 per cent of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to the United Nations' sustainable development goal of ending TB by 2030, and there is an urgent need to get back on track.
While responding to the invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, we must not forget about infectious respiratory diseases like TB. Canada must reaffirm its commitments to ending TB by investing in research and development, TB Reach, and the Global Fund.
Elise Farand, St. Albert
