US President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing foreign aid has exacerbated the global tuberculosis (TB) crisis in Africa and Asia. According to the New York Times, the system for diagnosing and treating TB has collapsed in dozens of countries, leading to dire consequences.
In Kenya, families are not being given preventive therapy, infected adults are sharing cramped living spaces, and children are sleeping with siblings due to delayed testing. The US is one of the few developed countries still actively treating TB.
TB was once a major public health threat, but it has been curable since the 1950s. However, global progress in controlling TB has stalled, partly due to limited funding. In 2023, there were nearly 10,000 US cases, an 8.3% increase from 2019, while over 2 billion people worldwide are infected.
Author John Green’s new book highlights the ongoing challenges of TB, which claims millions of lives each year. The lack of global action and funding has led to a resurgence of this deadly disease, underscoring the need for international cooperation and support in fighting TB.
Source: https://thedispatch.com/article/tuberculosis-world-disease-john-green-book