Children under 15 accounted for 4.3 percent of new and relapsed cases of tuberculosis in the WHO's European region in 2023, 10 percent more than in the previous 12 months, a report said on Monday, reports AFP.
More than 172,000 people overall were reported to have new and relapsed cases of the disease in the 53 countries, including several in central Asia, that make up the World Health Organization region.
The number was similar to 2022 levels but in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) nearly 37,000 people were diagnosed -- 2,000 more than the previous year, WHO Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
Children under 15 years also accounted for 4.3 percent of all TB cases in the EU/EEA, "signifying an increase for the third year in a row", the health bodies said in a statement.
The findings of the report show that the spread of TB is "still ongoing" in the region, with the health agencies noting that "immediate public health measures are needed to control and reduce the growing TB burden".
"Ending TB is not a dream. It's a choice. Sadly, the current TB burden and the worrying rise in children with TB serves as a reminder that progress against this preventable and curable disease remains fragile," WHO regional director Hans Kluge said in a statement.
Kluge added that "even before the recent cuts to international development aid, the world was facing an $11 billion shortfall in the global TB response".
ECDC Director Pamela Rendi-Wagner stressed that "it is critical that Europe renews its focus on prevention and timely, effective treatment".
The health bodies also noted that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remained "a significant challenge" in the region.
"With the rise of drug-resistant TB, the cost of inaction today will be paid by us all tomorrow," Rendi-Wagner said.
WHO Europe and the ECDC stressed the need to scale up efforts to detect and treat TB.
In particular they highlighted the need to expand access to "shorter, fully oral treatment regimens, which have shown promise in improving outcomes for patients with drug-resistant TB".
"Further critical measures for reducing the burden of TB and drug-resistant TB include strengthening TB testing and ensuring that TB preventive treatments are available to all those at risk," the health bodies said.
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