WHO: Tuberculosis cases rise for the first time in years

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says the number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years in 2021. A report from the U.N. health agency issued on Thursday said more than 10 million people worldwide were sickened by tuberculosis last year, a 4.5% rise from 2020. About 1.6 million people died. WHO said about 450,000 cases involved people infected with drug-resistant TB, a 3% increase. After COVID-19, TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. According to the WHO report, the coronavirus pandemic caused many people with it to go undiagnosed.