Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease in Asia-Pacific. In 2018, there were 10 million incident (new and relapsed) TB cases worldwide, 1.2 million deaths among HIV-negative people globally. More than 40% of new cases and almost half of deaths were estimated in India, Indonesia and Pakistan alone. Most of these TB cases and deaths occur disproportionately among men, but the burden of disease among women is also high as it remains among the top three killers for them in the world. Most cases of TB are curable if diagnosed early and the right treatment is provided – such as first-line antibiotics for 6 months -, therefore curtailing onward transmission of infection (WHO, 2019[26]).