Tuberculosis in Africa
– Over 10 million new Tuberculosis cases are diagnosed every year, with the African region, accounting for a quarter of new TB cases worldwide. That is over 2.5 million people.
– Tuberculosis is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, ranking above HIV/AIDS.
– Tuberculosis kills over 1.5 million people per year. Over 25% of TB deaths occur in the African Region. That is over 400.000 people.
– Tuberculosis is a leading killer among HIV-positive people: app. 40% of HIV deaths are due to Tuberculosis.
– About 80% of TB deaths among HIV-negative people occur in the WHO African Region and the WHO South-East Asia Region.
– An estimated 1 million children became ill with TB and 250.000 children died of TB (including children with HIV associated TB).
– Guinea-Bissau is a West African country with approximately 2 million people. It is a country with one of the highest TB burdens in the world, in which up to 51% of all TB cases are caused by M. africanum.
