Integrating tuberculosis control into maternal and newborn health services during pregnancy and postpartum is an urgent priority

An overlooked burden: Tuberculosis during pregnancy and postpartum continues to be under-recognised worldwide, despite bridging two major global health priorities: tuberculosis control and maternal and newborn survival. Recent estimates suggest that approximately 239,000 women contract tuberculosis during pregnancy each year, with an additional 97,600 cases occurring postpartum, affirming that the postpartum phase should not be viewed as merely incidental but as a significant extension of the period of risk [1]. These figures demonstrate that pregnancy-related tuberculosis constitutes a signif- icant portion of the overall tuberculosis burden among women of reproductive age, particularly in high tuberculosis-incidence regions [2].