It's because Covid is going away, right? Herd immunity is working?
The World Health Organization (WHO) today published a new report on tuberculosis revealing that approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023 – the highest number recorded since WHO began global TB monitoring in 1995. This represents a notable increase from 7.5 million reported in 2022, placing TB again as the leading infectious disease killer in 2023, surpassing COVID-19
There is plenty of evidence covid attacks the immune system, and reactivated TB is common with people who have AIDS. Could all just be a wierd coincidence and TB just does that sometimes.
Related: TB cases in Scotland rise by 40% in 'largest annual increase' observed to date
I would like to get off of mr bones wild ride
The Scotland thing is 200 cases going to 283 cases, which is always the important thing in "x increased by y" and they note it may be due to refugees arriving with tb rather than an increase in local spread.
I'd also like to know where those tb cases are from and if they're geographically clustered. Immune depletion from Covid may well be a factor, but I'd like to know if it correlates with war, famine, or other major disruptions to public health symptoms. As the scotland article notes, being a refugee, living in bad conditions in a camp and having bad or no medical care, is a significant factor in the spread of illnesses, espcially things like tb that thrive in close living conditions.
Theres been an increase in cases in the USA, too, and news articles like this blame refugees.
But then if you look at the latest CDC report:
Still relatively low, but a bad sign.