While TB cases continue to rise in the Americas, new innovations promise improvements in early diagnosis and treatment – PAHO/WHO

Washington DC March 24, 2025 (PAHO) – In the region of the Americas, cases of tuberculosis (TB) have increased 20% in the last decade, and deaths have also shown an upward trend. On World Tuberculosis Day, held every year on March 24, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa has asked the countries of the region to urgently take advantage of the power of new advances in technology and innovation to help reverse this trend.

Tuberculosis is one of the most mortal infectious diseases in the Americas, where 900 people are diagnosed with each day and 100 people lose their lives. Although progress has been made to address the disease, Covid-19 pandemic, which exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities, has led to an investment trend in the region

In the Americas, TB is particularly abundant among vulnerable populations, including indigenous peoples, those with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems, migrants, homeless people and people deprived of liberty, which is a growing problem in the region: although there are significant variations in countries, in some countries, the percentage of cases of TB attributed to people with freedom of freedom. This is mainly due to rapid prison populations throughout the region and increasingly overcrowded conditions.

«The consequences of TB in prison inmates extend far beyond prison environment,» said Dr. Sylvain Aldightieri, director of the Department of Prevention, Control and Elimination of Commissable Diseases in Paho. «Recent studies show that in Latin America, approximately one third of all cases of TB are related to imprisonment. Addressing TB in prisons is, therefore, fundamental to protect the health of people deprived of their liberty and accelerate progress towards the elimination of the general population.»

For Dr. Barbosa, «although the situation is serious, there are reasons to be optimistic. We have technologies and innovations that can help us reverse this trend,» he said.

This includes the radiography assisted by A-for the finding of active cases within the communities, which has allowed countries to expand early diagnosis, particularly in areas difficult to achieve and among vulnerable populations. In Peru, the implementation of this technology in prisons led to an increase of more than three times in detection. This is crucial since the diagnosis in the early stages of the disease significantly reduces the risk of community transition.

Paho also recommends the use of rapid molecular tests, which allows health workers to quickly detect the disease at the level of primary medical care, as well as shorter oral treatments, which can be accompanied by visits to telesalud and community support to minimize the economic burden faced by people with TB and their homes, overcome access barriers and improve adherence to treatment.

During the High Level Meeting at the TB at the United Nations General Assembly in 2023, world leaders pledged to accelerate efforts to end TB, but «now is time to take measures and decisively advance towards the elimination objectives,» said the director of the PAHO.

«We will continue working together with governments, civil society and strategic partners to intensify leadership, investment, innovation and multisectoral collaboration that puts people in the center of our efforts,» he concluded.

World TB Day

World TB Day is observed every year on March 24 to amplify the urgency of ending tuberculosis, which continues to devastate millions worldwide, inflicting serious consequences of health, social and economic.

This year’s theme ‘Yes! We can put an end to TB: compromise, invest, deliver, is a call to countries to translate commitment into action urgently implementing the actions of the World Health Organization/PAHO to end TB, strengthen national strategies and guarantee enough financing to close gaps in access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and attention.

Tuberculosis is one of the 30 transmissible diseases and conditions related to the objective of the initiative for eliminating Paho’s disease.